"Granger hurry up I need to use the bathroom," Draco called braying his fist on the wooden door before him in irritation, he'd been up most of the weekend brewing potions for the Hospital Wing and wanted a hot shower and to crawl into his bed, unfortunately when he had returned to the Head's Common Room, he'd found the bathroom already occupied.
"Go away," the girl called from within her voice sounding pitiful through the closed door, Draco found himself wincing at the sound of heaving that followed her shorts request.
"Granger," he called again to his fellow Head student this time worried rather than irritated.
"Please go away," she moaned in distress heaving once more behind the door.
"I'm coming in," he told her unlocking the door with a wave of his hand before pushing it open and stepping into their shared bathroom.
"I said go away," she muttered from where she was slumped on the white tiled floor, her head resting on the cool porcelain of the toilet.
"Your sick," he stated simply crossing the room to kneel beside the girl, with a grimace he gathered her rambunctious curls and piled them atop of her head into a hazardous bun.
"Don't feel well," she moaned vomiting into the toilet once more.
"How long have you been unwell," he asked her worriedly, his eyes scanning the girl's appearance. Granger was dressed in a pair of blue cotton shorts and a yellow t-shirt giving allowing him to see plenty of her skin. His fellow Head and Eighth year student usually had a lovely golden tan, one she'd developed after almost a year camping the previous year; now however her skin was a pale almost translucent green and there were clusters of purple spots all over her.
"Started feeling sick after class," she moaned lifting her head to look at him, her eyes glassy and unfocused.
"Granger, it's Sunday have you been here since Friday," he asked worriedly, reaching out to feel her forehead with the back of his hand, Granger's skin was hot like fire.
"since after class," she nodded once before slumping back against the toilet.
"Granger, you have Dragon Pox," he told her gathering the slumped girl into his arms.
"No," she shook her head at him, "I stayed away, not vaccinated," she told him.
"There isn't a vaccine," he told her.
"Not yet but I'm making one," she whispered slumping against his chest, her whole body shaking.
"I'm sure you are but you are in no state to make a vaccine now," he told her as he exited the Common Room heading for the Hospital Wing.
"If I have the Pox, you'll get sick too," she whispered.
"I had them as a kid, caught them off my Grandad, you can't get it twice," he told her quietly as he increased his speed.
"I had the chicken pox as a kid, they itched," she whispered against his chest.
"Never had them," he told her quietly.
"It's a muggle illness," she groaned desperately trying to get away from him as she through up once more, the warm bile soaking through the thin black shirt he was wearing.
"Sorry," she moaned slumping against his sick covered shirt.
"Don't worry about it, I've done a lot worse to you," he replied as he pushed open the doors to the Hospital Wing.
"I forgive you Draco," she told him her eyes locked on his. The girl in his arms began to fit, her eyes rolling backwards as unconsciousness claimed her.
"Madam Pomfrey," he called as he hurried over to an empty bed and placed Granger carefully on top of the crisp white sheet.
"Mr Malfoy, I told you to go get some rest," the old matron chided as she stepped out of her office.
"Grangers caught it," he informed her.
"Oh Merlin," the nurse gasped hurrying over to the girl her wand casting diagnostic charms and summoning potions to treat the girl.
"Will she be okay," he asked when she finally pocketed her wand.
"Only time will tell Mr Malfoy; the younger you are the more likely you are to survive Dragon Pox with no complications. Most people contract it as a child," the nurse told him.
"She's not old though, she's young and she's healthy," he stated looking down at the girl who looked so tiny in the large hospital bed.
"It's anyone's guess, since the first case on Wednesday we've had twenty-seven students' contract this and two of them have died, both of whom were healthy and young too. We can soothe her symptoms and keep her comfortable but its down to her own body to fight this off, there isn't a cure," the Matron told him unnecessarily. Draco already knew this information; he'd known it ever since he'd watched his grandfather Abraxas die of the virus when he was a small boy.
"She'll be more comfortable in her own bed," he told her, lifting the girl up once more.
"Mr Malfoy, she needs to be in the hospital wing," the matron told him.
"I'm not letting Granger die, she's the reason I'm not in Azkaban, everything you are doing here I can do in our Common Room; I can never repay her for what she has done for myself and my family, but I can do my best to ensure she gets through this," he told her earnestly, his face open and pleading.
"Fine Mr Malfoy but I want daily updates, if she gets any worse bring her back here," she told him, Draco nodded as the door to the Hospital Wing was thrown open by Headmistress McGonagall who was levitating a small student behind her.
"Another one," Madam Pomfrey asked, the Headmistress nodded as she settled the small boy down onto the bed.
"We need to get this virus isolated, most of our Pureblooded students had it as a small child, same with the half-bloods, or else they were born with some form of natural resistance ti it. Our Muggleborn students have no resistance to it at all," the Scottish witch spoke worriedly, her eyes settling on the girl in Draco's arms.
"Oh my, Hermione," she gasped hurrying towards him and settling one of her small hands against the girl's clammy cheek.
"Mr Malfoy found her this evening, I've agreed he can take care of her back at their Common Room," Madam Pomfrey told the Headmistress as she ran tests on her latest patient.
"Are you sure, wouldn't she be better off here with the other sick Muggleborn's," the Headmistress asked.
"No at the rate this is spreading this wing will be full soon, I've already started transporting the sickest students to St Mungo's and Mr Malfoy is more than capable of keeping her comfortable," she replied placing a large flask of Pepper Up Potion and another of Fever into a bag which she handed to him.
"She will need a spoonful of every three hours Mr Malfoy, you need to keep an eye on her fever, if the reducer isn't effective you will have to resort to other methods," the nurse told him, Draco nodded and exited the Hospital Wing.
Over the course of the next three days Draco stayed up with Hermione, ensuring she got her potions on time and that she had plenty of fluids. He'd cleaned the sick away from her body and ensured she was comfortable in her own bed. When her fever Hadn't broken, he'd placed her in a bath of ice and listened to her half delusional chatter.
"I'm dying aren't I," she asked him the heat of her skin causing the ice bath to steam.
"You're not dying Granger," he'd replied tiredly, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
"You're such a pretty angel, I don't want to go with you to heaven, I have things to do," she told him her eyes glazed.
"You're not going anywhere Granger," he told her firmly.
"Draco calls me Granger too, I like the way he says my name," she whispered her eyes fluttering closed a pleasant smile on her face.
"I like the way you say my name too," He'd whispered as he'd carried her now cold body back to her bed and cast a drying charm on her clothes. While the girl slept on, he'd read the research she'd left on her mahogany desk. Granger had multiple books both Muggle and Wizard and a massive sheet of scribbled notes. He'd read through them twice and then hurried to the Headmistresses office to run them by the portrait of his Godfather.
"Uncle Sev," Will Granger's idea work, he'd asked the portrait when he had explained Granger's idea of replacing the virus in a Chicken Pox Vaccine with that of the Dragon Pox.
"In theory it should do Draco, Miss Granger's idea is amazing, not many people think of merging Muggle science and Magic together," the portrait replied.
"How do we get it created," he'd asked.
"Leave that to Me," The Headmistress who had been sat silently at her desk replied. Within Hours Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt had provided ministry funds for a new St Mungo's Department that would merge Muggle and Wizarding remedies, the first been the new Dragon Pox Vaccine, with Magic it wasn't too difficult to get the original vaccine and edit it; it wouldn't be ready to vaccinate those within Hogwarts during their current Dragon Pox outbreak but future Generations of Magical students would receive the vaccine at age four and then again before starting at Hogwarts; making Dragon Pox a thing of the past.
Draco nursed Hermione through the rest of her illness, bemused that the girl didn't realise she was talking to him in her delirium; "Draco is so pretty, men shouldn't be so gorgeous," "Why does he always walk around in towels, I just want to lick his abs," "Oh Mr angle your halo is the same colour as Draco's hair, god I want to run my hands through his hair."
"What happened," the girl finally asked two weeks after he'd found her on the bathroom floor, her skin once more tanned and pimple free, her fever gone and her eyes bright and inquisitive as they looked at him where he sat slumped in a chair next to her bed.
"You had the Dragon Pox," he told her running a hand tiredly through his hair.
"Oh," she said scrambling to get out of her bed.
"Easy Granger, you've been in bed for two weeks, don't rush" he told her,"
"I need to finish my vaccine, I need to help," the girl told him hurrying to her desk.
"It's done, I found your research and the Granger Dragon Pox vaccine is on its way to getting produced at St Mungo's," he told her.
"Oh," she said again, sitting down on the edge of her bed.
"You're a genius Granger," he told her.
"I didn't really do anything, just a theory," she replied.
"No because of you many lives will be saved," he told her.
"Are you alright, you look terrible," she asked staring at him worriedly.
"I'm fine, just need some sleep and then I'm taking you on a date to Hogsmeade," he told her standing up and stretching his stiff muscles out.
"What, a date, what," she asked her face blushing madly.
"In your delirium you admitted that you find me rather attractive and that you'd love to do unmentionable things to my body, I feel the same way Granger," he told her emphasising her name and smirking when the girl shivered.
"So, a date," she asked.
"Yes, Granger a date," he told her leaning down to kiss her forehead.
"I'd like that," she whispered closing her eyes at the contact.
"Me too," he agreed before yawning.
"You can stay here if you'd like, just to sleep," she told him, shuffling over to make room for him on the bed, Draco smiled and settled down beside her, sleep claiming him quickly as the girl at his side gently stroked her hands through his blonde hair. Hours later he'd awake to her asleep in his arms, the first night of many more to come. They'd go on dates together, become healers, get married and have three children together all because Hermione caught the Dragon Pox and they both finally realised that they liked one another.