Chapter 10

Draco didn't end up walking Hermione back to her common room, but another girl did, a girl of her house. Hermione had glanced over at Draco as he was getting his things together to leave when it came to be almost closing time. Their gazes had met, and after that, she went and asked that girl if she wanted to walk back to their common room wither her. Draco had smiled at that, knowing she was taking his concern for her to heart, whether she wanted to or not.

It now being two days after that, he physically could see it when Hermione asks for people to walk with her. She glances at him now and then to make sure that he sees, and he nods his approval. It's kind of their thing now, and he loves that they have a thing. So, now that Hermione is taking care of herself, and has let her pride decrease, he just has to keep those two clods away from her... somehow. He doesn't want to talk to them, but maybe doing that is just what he has to do. He has to demand that they leave Hermione alone. They're going accuse him of protecting her, fancying her, but whatever. It has to be done.

Draco waited by his common room door at the end of the day, hoping to come across Crabbe and Goyle on their way back for the day. It was close to curfew, so people were starting to go into the common room, and a few of them greeted him, including Pansy. She had said that Crabbe and Goyle told her they were harassing some first year. At least that's what they were up to, not harassing Hermione.

He leaned off the stone wall and about went into his common room, thinking that he'll just wait for them inside where it's warmer, since it's pretty cold on the lowest floor of the castle, but he noticed them round the corner and into the corridor. Once they saw Draco standing there, they stopped mid-step. Horror filled their features, and Goyle hid something behind his back. Draco definitely noticed. He walked up to them, suspicious of what they have really been up to. Alarm hit his system as he noticed their guilty faces. No...

"Hey," he greeted them.

"Hey?!" Goyle practically shouted. "You don't speak to us for a week and all you have to say is hey?!"

"I thought you two were the ones who said that you're done with me," Draco countered.

Goyle paused, knowing that Draco had them there. "Well, it's since you've been hanging round that mudblood and being her little hero. What has gotten into you, Draco? Did someone cast a spell on you or something?"

He's certainly not going to tell them the real answer as to why he's changed. "I have my reasons."

"Yeah, disgusting ones," Crabbe spat. "You fancy her, don't you? A mudblood! You might as well be one yourself!"

Draco's expression darkened at that insult, since he still isn't fond of non-purebloods. Actually, calling a pureblood a mudblood is a very harsh insult, almost as harsh as calling a muggle-born a mudblood. He glanced at the arm Goyle had behind his back. "Nevermind. What have you two been up to?"

"What's it to you?" Crabbe snapped.

He remained calm, as much as he wanted to punch the two of them for the hurt they caused Hermione in the past couple of weeks. He glanced at Goyle's arm again. "What are you hiding, Goyle?"

The taller and bigger boy stood tall, and appeared innocent, which was most likely not true. "Nothing. Leave it be."

"There's definitely something," Draco counted, the bitterness coming out, and he had a hunch that this wasn't good in the least. He feared that it had to do with Hermione.

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Then show me if it's no big deal!"

Crabbe and Goyle looked at one another, then back at Draco. They remained silent for a moment, their lips pursed together, and guilt appeared in their eyes. Draco's had enough of this. He pulled out his wand at them, and both instantly did the same thing, only Goyle was holding an extra wand in his hand. The boy looked at it and cringed—big mistake on his part. But it was just what Draco wanted him to do. He glared at the extra wand as he put his away. "Whose wand is that?" he demanded.

Crabbe elbowed Goyle, and Goyle said, "It's nobody's. Just a little first year's."

He recalled what Pansy said, but he doubted that was the case. He took a better look at that wand. He recognized it. And there was blood on Goyle's hand... most likely blood of the owner of that wand. Something sharp pulsed through Draco's system, making his blood instantly boil. He grabbed Goyle by the collar with both hands.

"What'd you do to her?!"

The heat inside of him heightened and pulsated through his temple, making it throb as the rage started to overcome him. He clung onto Goyle harder, causing his face to turn pink.

"Get off him, Draco!" Crabbe shouted, but Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at him. He shouted a spell that propelled his large boy to the floor.

"What'd you do to her?!" he shouted again at Goyle as he stood above him and he took several breaths through his nose, and tears were starting to sear his eyes. The boy didn't answer. He grabbed the other wand and pointed his at Goyle and the other at Crabbe. "What'd you do to her?! Where is she?! TELL ME!"

The two stared at him in fear that he may do something to them, and Goyle mumbled, "The broom closet at the bell tower."

Draco didn't waste a second and raced down the corridors, passing a few people on the way, his blood pumping and the heat in his face rising in fury and fear—fear that those devils did something horrible to Hermione and he couldn't stop it, after thinking she was okay. His shoes pounded the stone floor, and then the stairs up to the bell tower. He looked around frantically for the broom closet and couldn't find it.

"Dammit!" he shouted, and it echoed through the empty corridor.

He ran up and down the corridor, then finally came across a thin door next to the stairs leading up to the actual bell tower where the bell is. He swung it open and the moonlight from a window in the corridor entered the small room, revealing Hermione on the stone floor, blood dripping out of her mouth and nose, and from her temple, leaving mats of blood in her hair. Blood stained her white, skewed and torn shirt, and her arms and legs had deep black and blue bruises all over them, as well as dirty cuts. Her eyes were closed.

"HERMIONE!" Draco yelled and fell to his knees beside her on the stone, causing pain to shoot up his legs from his knees. Hot tears gathered and fell from his eyes. "No, Hermione! Wake up! Hermione!"

He touched her shoulder she let out a slow and ragged moan. Draco gasped. "Oh, thank God! You're alive!"

He assessed her wounds, and figured that the healing spells that he knew wouldn't do her much good. Now he really regrets not paying attention in his spells classes over the years. Frantic, he shoved his arm under her neck, and then his other arm under her knees. He picked her up off of the cold stone floor and stabled her in his arms. He tried not to think about how she felt in his arms. Now isn't the time.

"Blymee, Hermione, you're heavy," he muttered, and she let out another ragged moan. "You'll be alright, okay? Please, just... don't fall asleep."

He left the closet with her, and cantered down the corridors as fast as he could to the hospital wing, and thankfully, everyone was already in their common rooms, so the corridors were empty. As he walked, he seriously thought about murdering Crabbe and Goyle for dong this to her. How could they be so evil? They bullied, but never did he or them go to this extent. Did he do this to them, always telling him to go and mess with people throughout the years? He scarred them.

Anger at himself now coursing through his veins, he got to the steps that led up to the hospital wing, and carefully took one step at a time. He glanced at Hermione and saw her face crinkle. She had to be in serious pain. "Ow..." she cried shallowly, confirming his thoughts.

"Just hang in there, alright? We're almost there."

Once up to the doors, he used his back to open them and entered the wing. He walked into the large empty room full of beds and shouted, "Is anyone here?"

Madam Pomphrey, the aging mediwitch, ran out of her office and saw Draco standing there holding a very beaten up Hermione. She gasped. "Oh my! Miss Granger! Mr. Malfoy, what in the blazes happened?"

"Why does that bloomin' matter?" he shouted, tears in his eyes. "She's needs help!"

"Right, right, just place her here," she said hastily, scurrying to the closest bed.

Draco laid Hermione down ever so gently, as to not cause her more pain. He didn't even notice Madam Pomphrey run to get out every potion she had to heal broken and non-existent bones, to stop bleeding, and ones to take away bruises. He stared at Hermione, her eyes closed, and she stilled. Fear pulsed through him.

"Hermione!" he hollered. Madam Pomphery came back with all her antidotes and healing potions. "She's still!"

"Yes, but she's just unconscious, Mr. Malfoy." Sadness filled her eyes as she quickly prepared the medicine. "Oh, my, this poor girl..." She started pouring a potion into a cup. "Come, help me prop her head up."

He did so and the witch poured a clear liquid down Hermione's throat.

"What is that?" he asked, his chest tightening to a painful degree and his voice cracking in emotion.

"An anti-bleeding potion," she said. "Miss Granger has suffered massive internal bleeding in her lungs and stomach. Now help me, boy!"

He did as he was told, and attempted to swallow since he couldn't keep emotions in check. As he helped prop Hermione's head up, and the potion was poured down her throat, he asked with difficulty, "How do you know?"

"It's my job," she said, putting the glass on the little table next to the bed, and they both gently laid Hermione's head down onto the pillow. "I looked at her once and saw every infirmity she had. She also has three broken ribs, a broken arm and wrist, and a broken ankle. Not to mention a nasty, bloody bump on her head and a few missing teeth. My, what did this poor girl go through, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco felt his chest constrict painfully, wishing that he didn't know the extent of her injuries. He felt the blood pumping hard in his head, giving him a headache. His hands balled into tight fists. He's seriously going to kill those two for doing this to her.

"Mr. Malfoy, answer me!" Madam Pomphrey demanded as she prepared the skeletal growth and mending potion by pouring it into another cup.

"She was beaten up," he bit out bitterly. "By two people who were once my friends."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, my... Those boys people call Crabbe and Goyle?"

"Yes."

Since Draco was in no state to help this time, Madam Pomphrey poured the potion down Hermione's throat. Once she was done with that, she said promptly, "We have to tell the Head Master about this. Right away. It needs to be reported."

Before Draco could say anything, she was off. Draco stared at Hermione's motionless form, and saw that some of her color returned, signifying that the potions were working, but she was still banged up. His eyes stung with the tears, and he couldn't keep them from falling.

Draco turned his head from Hermione when he saw that Madam Pomphery was back with Professor Dumbledore, his blue and silver robes glimmering in the fire light from the torches hung on the walls. His long, white beard traveled down to his navel. Draco didn't know that the headmaster would actually come and see this for himself. Draco tried not to think about what he has to do to the man, but it came anyway. It only added to the pain that he was feeling.

Once Dumbledore was up at the bed and he caught a glimpse of Hermione, he said to Madam Pomphrey, a look of urgency and alarm in his aged eyes, "Get Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Now."

Draco never heard that tone of voice from his headmaster before, who was looking at Hermione with tears in his eyes. Those said eyes flicked to Draco. "Mr. Malfoy," he said sternly, "what happened to her? Madam Pemphery only gave a small snippet of the story."

"She..." he let out, then swallowed the emotion rising in his throat. "She was beaten up by Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, and then thrown into a broom closet near the bell tower."

Dumbledore gave him a disbelieving look. "Those two boys? Really? No one else?"

Draco's pulse rose. He knew what he was getting at. He said angrily, "Yes. I wasn't a part of this. They've been bulling her for the past few weeks, as much as I tried to stop it."

"And you happened to find her there in that closet?"

"Yes. I found them with her wand and demanded what they did to her. They told me where she was before I could beat it out of them."

The wise wizard stared at Draco, and Draco knew that it was bizarre for the old man to find that Draco was trying to stop the bullying when he was a part of it so many times. But he didn't question, which speaks to his trust. The man really is incredible. And Draco has to end him...

"They're on their way," Madam Pomphery said when she came back, and then commenced to lather on the cuts and bruises the same goop that Professor Slughorn used to cure Hermione of her welts. Oh, how Draco wished that those welts were the only injury she had right now! He had to sit down on the bed next her hers because his limbs felt weak from the bitter emotions he was feeling. He's never felt like this before. Not even before Potter found him in that bathroom and he had a breakdown because of the pressure he was under. That seems like nothing compared to this.

"Will she be okay?" he asked, his throat tight.

"She'll be alright," Madam Pomphrey said assuredly, and closed the blue healing potion bottle. "But it will take a while—a whole week or more. She has several broken bones, and she has missing teeth. It will take time for the bones to mend and for the teeth to re-grow."

Draco nodded and looked at Hermione's pretty face, covered with bruises and blood, and the blood was now being wiped away with a cloth by Madam Pomphery. A large black ring was around Hermione's right eye, and he could see her missing teeth since her mouth was opened just slightly. His fists clenched tighter, and it hurt having his fingernails dig into his skin. Those two really did a horrid number on her. But how? Did they catch her off-guard again?

"Hermione!" they all heard, and saw Weasley run up to the bed, Potter in tow, both in their pajamas, Wealsey in blue plaid and Potter in red plaid. They both saw Hermione laying there and his face twisted in hurt. "What happened?" Weasley demanded of who was in the room, and in tears. "Hermione!"

Draco stood up and stepped away as the two friends went to their friend and didn't even notice him. Madam Pomphery answered them, "She was beaten up pretty badly, but she'll be alright, I promise. I already gave her all the healing potions and antidotes that she needs to heal. She should be right as rain in about eight days or so."

"Oh, golly, Hermione," Potter said, and took her hand as he sat on her right and Weasley on her left. "The one time that you left the library on your own... we should have gone with you." He looked up at Madam Pomphrey with tears in his own eyes. "How bad is she?"

"She had a lot of internal bleeding to the lungs and stomach, and several broken bones. If she wasn't brought here more than twenty minutes later..." She paused, and she swallowed her own emotion. Tears gathered in her eyes. "She... would not have made it."

Draco's heart lurched at that, and Potter and Weasley stared at the mediwitch in shock. Draco hated that Hermione didn't have anyone with her after she left the library, probably thinking that it wouldn't hurt this one time, and he wasn't around to make sure she had someone with her. She took advantage of that and this happens.

"Good thing Mr. Malfoy here found her when he did," Dumbledore said as he stood with Madam Pomphery. "He brought her here not fifteen minutes ago."

Both Weasley's and Potter's eyes widened as they looked behind them, now noticing that Draco's presence over near the door.

"Draco?" Weasley gasped in disbelief. "You...?" His face stared to turn red and he ran over to him. "What happened to her?!" he shouted into his face. "What happened to Hermione? What'd you do to her?!"

Draco remained silent, the anger inside of him bottling up. He clenched jaw tight so he wouldn't burst.

"Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, stopping him, "he did nothing, but only brought her here. I'm sure you know that Mr. Malfoy is done with bullying people around."

Weasley remained in front of Draco, and Draco saw the redness in the boy's watery green eyes. "What happened, then? Huh?!"

"Crabbe and Goyle," Potter said from the bed and still had Hermione's hand. "It was them, wasn't it?

Draco's bloodshot eyes flicked over to him. "It was."

Weasley whirled away from Draco and shouted, "I'll kill them! I'll kill them both!"

"Ron, stop it!" Potter demanded. "I'm furious, too, but we can't do anything about it now. All we can do is wait for Hermione's recovery."

"Harry's right," Dumbledore said, and Weasley still huffed. "All we can do now is wait. How long did you say, Poppy?"

"About eight days. It could be more."

"Over a week?" Weasley exclaimed. "Those two brutes better get a nasty punishment!"

"Leave that to me, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said. "Their parents will be contacted and we will discuss a punishment. But I believe I know the perfect one. It will be worse than expulsion." He eyed Draco. "Are you sure it was those two boys?"

Draco wanted to leave and let out the hurt and fury that were building up inside of him. He felt like a volcano about to erupt. "Positive," he bit out.

Dumbledore nodded, then disappeared with a flick of his fingers. Weasley went back to Hermione and sat at her bedside and held her hand. "Hermione..." he cried as tears fell down his cheeks, and Potter was on her other side, holding her hand also. He turned his head and Draco met his gaze. Gratitude appeared in his watery eyes.

"Thank you, Draco. For bringing her here."

Draco never thought he would here that from Harry Potter of all people. With Hermione, it was less-shocking, hearing a thank you. But she's Potter's best friend, so it made sense. Draco nodded once as a "you're welcome," since he might scream if he opened his mouth.

Potter turned his gaze to Hermione again. Draco took one last glance at her motionless form, knowing she was in good hands, then vacated the room. He cantered through the corridors, huffing and fuming, and his head throbbing. He didn't go back to his common room, but went in the direction of the Room of Requirement. He went in as soon as the door appeared and entered a vast, empty room, free of all the clutter and that wardrobe he has to mend. He walked out into the center of it and stared into the emptiness of the room.

He couldn't hold it in any longer. He let out the loudest scream his lungs allowed him to belt out. He screamed again, and again, on until there was nothing left for him to scream, and his throat ached. He screamed for Hermione and the hurt that she endured as she was beaten up, for the monster he was growing up and what he did to others, and for what he has to do to a man who doesn't deserve to die.

Draco fell to the floor, onto his knees, panting and whimpering, with his throat incredibly sore. His hands clenched into fists against the cold stone floor and his tears dropped, creating wet splotches on the stone.

A day passed since Draco brought Hermione to the hospital wing, and it took everything that he had in him to not beat up Crabbe and Goyle for what they did. Every time they came into view, they ran from him, knowing what Draco wanted to do to them. He didn't feel like going to classes either since he was still hurt, and the image of Hermione in that closet, left for dead essentially, scarred his mind. He wanted to visit her to see how she was doing, but he didn't dare go because a herd of Hermione's friends commandeered the place. So, he just heard from others how she's fairing. She continued to sleep, and her outer wounds were completely gone. In other words, she was healing, which Draco was relieved by.

But he really wants to see her. He ached to. Maybe he should just go. Go to the hospital wing, regardless of the amount of people in there to see Hermione, and how shocked they will be so see him there. The whole school knows about her state, thanks to Dumbledore telling the whole school at breakfast, but he didn't say who rescued her. They'll find out soon enough when he gets there, but there's something that he has to do first.

He entered the corridor that he first encountered Annabelle in, and she was right there, staring out a window, a sad expression on her pretty and ghostly face. He cantered up to her, and she turned and saw him coming. "Draco..."

"Why didn't you tell me she was going to get beaten up?!" he demanded in her face. "I asked you to tell me what happens next in that bloody vision of yours, but you refused! Did you think that Hermione getting beaten up, almost to death, wasn't something worth telling me?!"

Tears gathered in her eyes and she looked down at the floor. "Draco, I... didn't know..."

He gave her a disbelieving look. "You didn't know? You didn't know that she would be beaten up, when you said that you saw everything in that vision?"

She met his fierce gaze and she returned it. "Please, Draco, I only saw certain things in my vision, and Hermione getting beaten up by those boys wasn't one of them. I was shocked when I saw you carrying her to the hospital and saw the state that she was in. I didn't want to encounter you after that because I knew you would be like this, blaming me."

He huffed through his nose, and he could see in her eyes that she was telling the truth. "You... really didn't know about this?"

"No, honest, Draco, I didn't. I'm hurt by it just like you are. Hermione has become my friend. And... I hope that you will still be my friend, too."

He really couldn't be mad at her since this isn't her fault. He took in and let out a large breath, releasing the anger that he was feeling. "Alright, yes. We're friends. But friends tell each other things."

She knew what he was getting at. "I told you that I wouldn't say anything more."

He huffed. "I'll get it out of you one of these days."

She beamed, and his eyes widened at the side. Even if he's loony mad for Hermione, he still thinks this ghost is beautiful.

"Go and see her," she said. "Go and see how she is. According to what I've heard, she's healing quite nicely."

"I've heard that, too."

He stood there staring at her for a moment. He thought about thanking her for telling him about that vision, but now wouldn't really be the best time to do it since Hermione is in the hospital wing. "Alright, well, see you later," he said to her.

"Yes, see you."

He left her and walked on through the corridors, rather briskly, on his way to the hospital wing. He was about to ascend the stairs to it when a boy said behind him, "Hermione is alright. I heard she's recovering faster than expected."

Draco's heart lifted only a little at the confirmation of what both he and Annabelle heard. He got to the doors of the hospital wing, took a deep breath, and then entered. As he expected—a whole slew of people were around her bed, and everyone was all a chatter. His heart dropped. There was no way he could see her. He turned to go, when...

"Hey, there's Malfoy!"

He froze.

"He's the one who saved her!" said one.

"I still don't believe it," said another.

He turned to look at them, disbelief in his features. He thought no one knew who saved her! Potter or Weasley must have said something, or it's possible that Annabelle said something without telling him that she did. He came more into the room and some people around the bed stiffened and turned away. He saw Potter make his way out of the crowd. Draco watched as he walked up to him, not really believing that he was doing so.

"Draco."

"Potter."

Draco's nemesis looked back at the crowd, then back at him. "You can see her. It's aright if you do."

His brows pushed together. It would be best to appear intimidating and not let on the fact that he wanted to see Hermione more than anything at the moment. "No. Forget I came."

He went back to the door and pulled it open, but Potter stopped him by holding onto it. "Hold one, I want to say something."

"What?"

"You were in tears and could barely speak when we asked you about what happened to Hermione. I honestly couldn't believe that you were in such a state because of her, and are so protective of her."

Draco's hand tightened around the door handle, disliking the fact that Potter saw his state after bringing Hermione in. "I'm not interested in your flowery talk, Potter."

He pulled on the door even more, but Potter kept a hold on it. "Draco... Hermione wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. You saved her life."

Draco saw the sincerity in his nemesis's eyes, and momentarily wondered if he forgot they were enemies. "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm just thanking you, but... I suppose I'm trying to say that you care about Hermione. A lot."

Draco's heart sped up against his will, and he felt the heat rise up his neck. He didn't want to answer and reveal his weakness, but his silence was answer enough.

"It's pretty shocking to say the least," Potter said, "and I still don't know exactly why you're so protective of her, or you feel the need to protect her, but nonetheless... thank you. Thank you for saving the life one of my best friends."

Draco refused to let tears fall—he could feel the sting of them coming. This was so different, having Harry Potter thanking him so many times, after always hating him, and him hating him back. That duel in the bathroom wouldn't have happened if they didn't hate each other. "You're welcome. But don't expect anything else from me."

Potter nodded, and Draco looked to the crowd again. Potter followed his line of sight. "You can go see her. She's still not awake, but she's getting better."

"I'll wait," Draco said, giving a hint that he wanted to see her. He was out the door before he was tempted to shove all those students away just so he could catch a glimpse of the girl he's so crazy mad about. Once he reached the large doors to the Great Hall where all the students were eating lunch, he stopped and people passed him as his mind whirled with some shocking thoughts...

He wants to murder Crabbe and Goyle for doing what they did, and he was almost willing to completely ruin his reputation, more than he already has, by going in to see Hermione. Nothing would have stopped him from going up to her and holding her in his arms and kissing her, regardless of her being unconscious, and regardless of he dozen people around seeing the sight.

He's not just mad about her and wants to protect her, he's what Annabelle said he would be eventually...

He's in love with that muggle-born. The vision came to pass once again.