*trigger warning: talk and implication of rape*

Chapter 2

Hermione didn't wake up for the rest of the week, but Harry and Ron visited her at every opportunity every day, and Draco sat by her side during the evening, only leaving just before the medi-witch completed her final rounds of the night at 10:30. He would head to the library, pull out his books and work until the early hours of the morning at which point he would finally go to bed for a few hours. There was something telling them he had to work double as hard for both him and the Gryffindor lying for dead a few floors above.

It was a Hogsmeade weekend that Saturday so after quickly visiting Hermione after breakfast, Harry and Ron hurried into the small wizarding village, needing to get some space from the castle that had felt suffocating the past week. However, a certain Slytherin was not up for visiting the village. And instead wanted to get a day of work completed because of Quidditch practice that was expecting to take up most of the following day. Rather than heading to his usual table in library on the third floor he found his feet carrying him up the next flight of stairs and along the corridor towards some very familiar double oak doors.

Draco spent most of the day working next to Hermione's bed, hoping that just being in her company meant he would find the Transfiguration essay easier. It wasn't until mid afternoon that the life he knew flipped once again.

[-*-]

The pain was excruciating, radiating from her pinkie toe to her forehead. Her whole body ached, as if she had just run a marathon at world record pace. She could hear the scratching of a quill next to her head, the hissing of a brewing potion a little bit away and footsteps against a stone floor even further. Her head was throbbing but despite it she opened her eyes a fraction, immediately shutting them against the bright white light above her. She wanted to just slip back into the warmth and comfort she had come from. She wanted to just cocoon herself in these blankets and sleep forever. But when she heard a slight scuffling, she knew that wasn't going to be possible.

For the second time she tried opening her eyes a crack, managing to take in more light and slowly opening them some more. She blinked a few times, and it took a while to get accustomed to the brightness but as she did, she was able to take in more of her surroundings. From what she could tell she was lying in a bed, that appeared to be surrounded by green curtains. She turned her head to the side to see where the scuffle had come from, the pounding increasing with the movement and she subsequently let out a groan of pain. She didn't know what she was expecting to see but it certainly wasn't a set of grey, stormy eyes and sleeked back platinum hair.

"Malfoy?" she croaked, her throat sore and not used to forming words. The boy's eyes flittered slightly but he maintained eye contact.

"You're awake," he said. Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes, unfortunately exacerbating her headache.

"Where?" was all she managed to ask.

"Hospital Wing," Draco responded, not letting on too much.

"Why?" she rasped out again trying to shift her body into a more comfortable position, but only making her joints and muscles fire with even more pain.

"You were attacked four days ago. Been unconscious since," he said simply, not taking he eyes off of her own. It was somewhat disconcerting. She had never held eye contact with the Slytherin for longer than a few seconds and suddenly it seemed like neither of them were able to look away.

"Why are you here?" she murmured slowly and quietly. Draco hesitated unsure what to say. He didn't really know why he was there; he was disturbed less than in the library but somehow that didn't fully justify his actions.

"I brought you here that evening. For some reason I've visited you every day since," he answered truthfully with a slight shrug. Hermione's foggy brain seemed to clear with those sentences. Malfoy had rescued her after an attack. She didn't remember an attack. She didn't really remember anything. The last thing was writing her Potions essay on Monday night in the library but that was it. She didn't know what to think that Draco had brought her to the Hospital Wing. It was very un-Malfoy-ish.

"Thank you," Hermione responded. She was tired and achy, in pain and just wanted to sleep.

"I'll get Pomfrey," Draco said quickly standing up. Hermione winced at the scraping of the chair's legs against the stone floor. Either Draco ignored her or didn't notice as he packed up his bag and turned away, not even saying another word. He didn't even look back as he left through the closed curtains. Hermione turned back so she was looking at the ceiling. She was confused and wanted answers. Before she could even sort out her thoughts the matron pulled open the curtains and approached her bed, beaming.

"Miss Granger, you're awake. What a relief, we were beginning to be concerned," she said bustling around summoning different potions and offering them all to Hermione. The Gryffindor didn't even question them as she downed them in quick succession. Miraculously the throbbing headache faded, her extremities felt lighter and the pain radiating through her body subsided. She was about to ask the matron about what happened when she felt her eyelids grow heavy and before she could open her mouth she had fallen into a deep slumber.

When Hermione awoke the following morning it was with considerably less pain and she felt a lot more at ease. She blinked her eyes open and this time was surprised to see many more sets of eyes looking down at her. She shrunk back into the bed as she looked around and counted no fewer than 6 visitors: Harry and Ron, Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, to her surprise the headmaster Professor Dumbledore and to an even greater surprise Draco Malfoy.

"Mione!" Ron shouted and flung his arms around her as he saw that she was now awake. Hermione winced at the loud shout and at the crushing hug she was now receiving. She was much more grateful for Harry's gentle squeeze of her shoulder; at least one of her friends had a bit of tact.

"Miss Granger, welcome back," Professor Dumbledore said with a smile, his blue eyes twinkling brightly. "I am sure you don't want our company for too long, so we shan't trouble you too much to allow you to regain your strength." Hermione nodded, even just a few minutes after being awake she was beginning to feel the effects of the easing potions, the pain was starting to increase in the pit of her stomach and her head was throbbing once more.

"Before we start questioning you, would you be able to explain what you can remember from Monday night?" the headmaster queried. Hermione cast her mind back to almost a week ago and was surprised that her memory was less fuzzy, albeit still patchy.

"I don't remember much," she said quietly, her throat still scratchy with the lack of use. "I know I was working on my potions essay and I think I was quite near finishing so I wasn't planning on being in the library for much longer. It all happened quickly, I think. I believe someone hit me across the back of my head from the shadows, I don't recall seeing anyone. That made me fall to the ground and there was lots of kicking, hitting and punching and quite a bit of blood and pain. And then –" Hermione suddenly paled as a memory resurfaced. The worse of it all. Tears stung her eyes and judging by the sorrow filling her visitors' eyes they knew exactly what happened next. A long silence filled the Hospital Wing.

"So, you don't know who it was?" Professor McGonagall finally asked, her voice cracked. Hermione shook her head as she looked down at the covers averting her eyes from everyone else.

"And you don't know either, Mister Malfoy?" the Transfiguration professor turned on the Slytherin boy. Draco shook his head. Ron let out a snort and was about to say something before Hermione interrupted him.

"It wasn't Malfoy, Ron. He wouldn't have got to where I was sitting from his table without me seeing." She didn't look up, but she had a tone of finality, which left both Harry and Ron convinced she was right, and they had been wrong: Draco Malfoy was innocent. After a few more questions around the group, they all left Hermione, except, to her surprise, Draco. He shuffled his feet looking down at the floor as Hermione cast her eyes over him. She had never seen him act like this and it was baffling her. He was always so confident and cocky, not anxious and worried.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry what happened. I'm sorry I couldn't stop it happening," he said quietly looking up and locking grey with chocolate brown eyes. Hermione's expression softened and a small smile spread across her face.

"Don't worry about it. It happens, you were no doubt busy. I don't blame you," she responded equally as quietly.

"That does not just happen," Draco growled. Hermione was shocked at his behaviour. Why would he care? He hated her with all his guts. She didn't quite know what to say and it wasn't long until Draco just shook his head and turned on his head, striding out of the infirmary. Even his steps sounded angry. Hermione knew she should be more upset and angrier about what happened, but she felt so distant from it. Almost like it happened in a different world. Maybe it just hadn't sunk in and one day it would all hit her. But for now, what was she to do? She was bed bound for at least the next week with her attacker just strolling the corridors. She felt safer in the Hospital Wing and in a weird way she felt better not knowing who it was. She felt that if she did know who did it, should they crossed paths in the corridor he would fare off much worse than she did. Letting out a sigh she slid down the bed and cocooned herself among the blankets. Even despite the five potions she was taking she was still sore and tired. She knew she had work to catch up on but that wasn't a priority. She just wanted to sleep. If only she had the time turner and could go back a week and make it never happen.

[-*-]

Under Madam Pomfrey's instructions Hermione was kept in the Hospital Wing for the following week to allow her internal injuries to fully heal.

"You were unconscious for nearly five days, no way am I letting you into class after a few days," she repeated every time Hermione begged her to be let out. Every day she felt better, well physically at least; fewer aches and pains and her head didn't throb half as frequently. Harry and Ron visited her frequently, bringing her the daily homework and all the wilder and wilder ideas going around as to why Hermione was missing for the second week.

"I overhead someone earlier saying that you had been petrified and the Chamber of Secrets had been opened again," Ron said with a shake of his head as he dropped some books at the foot of Hermione's bed on Wednesday evening. The matron was finally allowing Hermione to work for a few hours a day so she was cramming as much as she could to try and be less behind.

"Pft, some people really have no idea," Hermione responded pulling the top book towards her and turning to the index.

"I don't know why you bother, if I was in the Hospital Wing for two weeks I'd use it as an excuse to not work," Ron said eyeing his friend flick to the page she wanted.

"We have OWLs soon, Ron. I've got to work, it's not going to do it itself," Hermione huffed.

"Not for eight months though, Hermione. You don't need to stress," Ron argued. Hermione's eyes widened in shock at the comment.

"Only eight months? I'm so far behind already," Hermione groaned flicking through the book with even greater ferocity.

"Don't overdo it, Mione. You'll only set yourself back. We both know how unwell you were this morning after last night," Harry muttered.

"They're right, Miss Granger. You have been overdoing it. No more work today," the matron had suddenly appeared without the trio noticing. Harry and Ron could almost see the tears begin in Hermione's eyes.

"No arguing," Madam Pomfrey added as Hermione opened her mouth to counter the matron.

"You two, please take all of this and don't bring anything until tomorrow evening at the earliest, my patient needs to rest." Harry and Ron quickly scurried around packing up their bags and hurrying out the infirmary without another word. The last thing they wanted was to get onto her bad side; she could be ruthless and not even let them visit Hermione. Hermione collapsed back into the pillows as they left, her mind whirring. With each day, the memories of that night became stronger and less patchy. She could almost remember it all. And it was making her feel awful and abused. It was like she was now aware of it and conscious about what happened. She felt sick knowing someone had taken something from her she wasn't ready to lose. She felt the tears sting her eyes again as she thought about it all.

The curtains around her opened and someone appeared at the foot of her bed. She quickly wiped at her eyes and looked over, her mouth opening in surprise at who it was; Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, but not accusingly.

"I came to see you," he responded, sitting down in the chair Ron had vacated just a few minutes previously.

"Why?" Draco hesitated for a few seconds, contemplating what to say.

"Honestly, I don't know," he finally said. Hermione raised her eyebrows curiously so the Slytherin continued. "Ever since that night, I've felt very out of my body. I'd find myself doing things I'd never thought I would; bringing you here for example, coming and seeing you. It's like my subconscious is taking control over me." Hermione lay there shocked; she had never expected Draco Malfoy to actually open up to her about anything, ever.

"Not sure I can help you there," Hermione responded hesitantly, very perplexed.

"I wouldn't expect you to." A long, awkward silence fell between the two of them for a while, until Malfoy had the decency to break it.

"How are you doing?" he finally asked looking intently at her, but avoiding eye contact.

"Bored," she responded, the corner of her mouth twitching a little. "And pissed off I'm not allowed to do any work. I'm getting so far behind." Draco nodded and before Hermione could say anything else, he pulled out some books from his bag.

"I need some help with this Charms essay, would you mind?" he asked. Hermione just stared at him. What the hell was going on? First of all, Draco Malfoy hater of all things not Slytherin had saved her, then he kept visiting her, and now he was asking for her help. But he hated her.

"I…I guess so," she replied.

"Good." Draco turned to the correct page and they began to work together, deciphering the meanings and magical science behind the substantive charm; a complicated spell that would identify whether an object was real or had been transfigured from something else. Despite Hermione not being present in the Charms classroom, she understood it very quickly and was able to explain it all to Draco in a much simpler form; the textbook had way overcomplicated it. It was 10 o'clock when Draco finally packed up his bag.

"Thank you. Get better," he said curtly giving her a nod before quickly leaving the hospital room, giving Hermione an even greater headache than before, utterly confused at what was going on. Why was he visiting her in the hospital wing? Why was he asking for help from a mudblood? Why was he being nice to her? Hermione's thoughts were chasing each other at a hundred miles an hour as she finally fell into an uneasy sleep a little after midnight. And even during the night she was plagued with questions and images of the pale Slytherin.

[-*-]

Much to Hermione's delight she was finally released from the Hospital Wing on Sunday evening after dinner, nearly two weeks after the accident, on some very strict orders from Madam Pomfrey and to still take multiple potions a day. She tentatively pushed open the portrait into the common room, really hoping there weren't too many people about so she could sneak in without a massive bombardment of questions; Harry and Ron had both said people were constantly asking about her whereabouts and her welfare. Somehow, for the first time in Hogwarts history, the truth hadn't spread like wildfire. Fortunately, the common room was relatively empty with most people still at dinner, so she was able to spot Harry and Ron playing wizards chess by the fire. She headed over and sat down next to them.

"Hey."

"Hermione! We didn't realise you were coming out tonight, we thought it was tomorrow morning," Ron said excitedly throwing his arms around her in an awkward side hug. Hermione chuckled.

"I managed to persuade Madam Pomfrey to let me out tonight; a night to get used to people before classes tomorrow etc," Hermione smiled.

"Good job," Ron said his attention turning back to the game.

"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" Harry asked, less invested in the game.

"Fine, excited to get back into it. I'm so far behind I have so much to catch up on," Hermione replied wincing as Harry's Queen got taken down from the knees by one of Ron's bishops.

"Hermione, you got an O on the essay on sustantine charms, and you weren't even in the class," Ron said not taking his eyes off his bishop.

"Substantive charms, Ron. But still I missed so many lessons and I bet you got told things that won't be repeated," Hermione said feeling the usual bubbling of panic building up inside of her. And for once she realised it wasn't just because of academia. There was a part of her that was coming to terms with the fact she would be walking down the same halls as her attacker tomorrow. It had been slowly gnawing at her over the weekend as Monday drew nearer.

"You'll be fine, Mione. You'll catch up in a flash, and I know all the professors will help you, maybe not Snape but who cares about potions in any case," Harry told her reassuringly.

"I really hope so."

"Stop fretting, Mione. You're not best in the year for nothing. You will be absolutely fine. Me on the other hand, I'm glad you're back and can help me proper," Ron added with a sly smile.

"Must have been tough doing your own work for two weeks," Hermione said.

"You have no idea," Ron deadpanned. Hermione smiled, already feeling better about the upcoming day and in a happier place now she was back with her two best friends. But despite their mini pep talk she just couldn't shake that feeling of dread.

"I'm going to bed," she finally announced and left the boys to their game and headed upstairs. She was relieved to find her dormitory meaning Lavender and Parvati were still at dinner or giggling over boys somewhere. She pulled on her pyjamas, drew her hangings around her bed, cast a silencing spell and climbed into bed. But she didn't go to sleep. No, her mind was working far too hard for any kind of sleep to overcome her. She lay there, a strip of moonlight falling over her face through a gap in her curtains, worrying about the following day. Whilst glad to be out of the hospital wing and looking forward to lessons again the thought of her attacker sent fresh waves of panic and anxiety through her. She was no longer in the safety of the infirmary. Anything could happen. Who knew what he would do next time if he saw her again.

Down in the Slytherin dungeons, Draco Malfoy was also lying atop his bed his mind whirring. For some reason there was a part of him, an unknown, unchartered territory that was also concerned. He was no nearer knowing who had attacked the Gryffindor in the library two weeks previously and although he had a couple of hunches, he had no concrete evidence. He felt it was a requirement of him to find justice for letting it happen to her. Ever since then he always worked with one ear open for anything; he may be a Slytherin and not care about 90% of the school but he would never let something like that happen on his watch again, regardless of who it was.

He rolled over onto his side and for some reason an image of a bushy haired witch appeared in his mind. She was a few years older than she was now and she wasn't battered and bruised, nor was she lying in a hospital bed. She was sat somewhere unrecognisable, beaming at him. Her deep chocolate brown eyes were twinkling with glee and her face shining with happiness. As suddenly as it appeared, it vanished. He cursed out loud, unsure whether because it confused him even further to have seen it or that it had gone.

"Alright, Draco?" a loud gruff of a voice asked from the other side of his hanging drapes.

"Fine," he answered tartly, in no mood to carry out a conversation with anyone. He tried to block out what his dorm mates were talking about; female Quidditch players from what he gathered but was unsuccessful so he quietly cast a silencing charm so he could no longer hear them and he could fall into his own thoughts once more. He mainly just wanted to know what the hell was going on with him. He felt so out of place. So not himself. He thought back through the past two weeks. It was that Monday that had done it for him; ever since them he hadn't been himself. But why? Why had saving her changed him so much? And what else was going to change?

[-*-]

"Hermione, you look awful," Ron said as she met her friends in the common room the following morning.

"Thanks, Ronald. Good morning you too," Hermione said coldly.

"I meant…did you not sleep last night?" Ron asked hurriedly, trying to cover his tracks.

"No, I did not, thank you for asking," she responded turning her back on the boys and starting towards the portrait hole and breakfast. Harry and Ron exchanged a look but hurried after her. The trio walked in silence towards the Great Hall. Just as they reached the entrance Hermione suddenly stopped, her nerve through the roof. He was going to be in there. Whoever he was, he would be there. He would see her and…would he be planning the next attack?

"We're right here with you. No one is going to lay a finger on you," Harry whispered in her ear, clearly knowing exactly what Hermione was thinking. She swallowed but nodded her head slowly.

"Just one foot in front of the other; we'll sit right as this end if you want," he said quietly guiding her towards the Great Hall. Again, Hermione nodded slowly and let out a large sigh once they were sat a few spaces down the table so as not to be the first visible people from the door. Ron dived straight into the eggs and bacon, but Harry watched as Hermione took a few steadying breaths. Ignoring their friend currently stuffing his mouth, he leant over and whispered in her ear: "Are you OK?" She made contact with his emerald green eyes; the concern evident in the look her was giving her.

"Yeah, I…it's just not a nice feeling knowing he's in here," she responded honestly. Harry reached over and gave her hand a squeeze.

"It will all be OK, neither of us with leave your side. You're safe with us," Harry reassured her. Hermione managed to smile back at him, thanking the deities she had made such a good friend in Harry, before helping herself to some porridge.

Fortunately for Hermione, the morning went relatively smoothly and she was relieved that despite being absent for two weeks she didn't feel too far behind. History of Magic was a breeze and it was clear to Hermione that Professor Binns hadn't even noticed her absence from his classroom. She continually cast disapproving looks over to Harry and Ron as they played noughts and crosses rather than listening.

"Just because I'm back in the classroom doesn't mean I'm going to automatically be giving you my notes," she huffed as they made their way to the dungeons for potions.

"Surely you wouldn't let us just fail," Ron responded.

"I'd be tempted if you keep this up," Hermione said avoiding their eyes. She knew deep down that even though it infuriated her to no end they never listened in class she was not going to just let them fail, but she couldn't tell them that or they really would never listen.

Hermione pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders as they got closer to the dungeons, the air much cooler than the rest of the castle. She could hear the sound of voices as she, Harry and Ron approach telling her the Slytherins would already be there. Her breath caught in her mouth as she realised she was going to see him for the first time since she had helped him with Charms on Wednesday. She wasn't in the least bit surprised that he and the rest of the Slytherins ignored the arrival of the Gryffindors, but her heart did a flip when he looked over to her as Snape appeared in the doorway. He made no recollection of seeing her apart from the boring of his grey eyes in hers. The merest of nods told her that he had noticed her. She raised her eyebrow ever so slightly, but he just ignored her and entered the classroom with Crabbe and Goyle. As she went to the back table with Harry and Ron, he sat down at his usual front desk and the class resumed as normal as if nothing had just happened. He mostly ignored her unless he was throwing insults at the trio at the back, but even they were fewer than usual. No out of the ordinary looks. Nothing. Whilst Hermione worked double as hard to please Snape in an attempt to make up for her absence, he hadn't even acknowledged her presence again, her mind was whirring. She knew she was in for a slightly different year than she had been anticipating, something was changing about the pale Slytherin, and not necessarily something for the worse.

A/N: hope you enjoyed the second chapter! please leave a review and let me know your thoughts :)