My love must be a kind of blind love.
I can't see anyone but you.
Crimson slid in the gaps of her fingers, coating her pale palms, her pale wrists, her pale forearms. She pressed harder into Draco, trying to ignore the pained gasp of air that escaped his mangled chest. She tried not to focus on his feeble struggles to escape her torment, as he was too injured to understand that the young witch's hands were the only thing holding his body together. She felt his heart stutter beneath her hands, beating a weak and erratic rhythm.
"Please don't stop. Please don't stop. Please don't stop." She whispered, her shoulders shaking but her palms firm.
Hermione breathed deeply, remembering her training from the war and praying for Remus to get back as quickly as possible.
Are the stars out tonight?
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright.
I only have eyes for you.
Her head slid across the cupboard behind her and the sharp jerk of her neck woke her. She blinked for a few moments, trying to clear her head, and raised a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. She looked down the hallway, hearing hushed voices in the nearest room.
Hermione rested a hand on the paneling beside her and stood. The low voices grew easier to understand the closer she got to the doorway. She leaned heavily against the molding and crossed her arms.
Inside, two tall men stood by the bed of Draco Malfoy. They spoke in soft tones, but there was a clear edge to the conversation. Remus let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. He stepped back from the dark-haired man, looked at the floor, and then let his eyes rest on the man asleep in the bed close to him.
"I don't know, Severus. I have no idea how this happened and the only person who does is missing." Remus crossed his arms before turning to face Snape.
"Look, Lupin. Whoever did this is clearly capable of coming after all of us. We need to know more about who did this to Draco so we can understand how at risk the rest of us are." Severus spoke lowly but firmly, "Just because the mutt has taken off, doesn't mean that we can simply wait around."
Remus let out a low growl and stepped closer to Severus to defend Sirius, but Hermione interrupted.
"Severus." Her feet padded against the floor quietly, and she kept her arms wrapped around her stomach. Snape and Remus turned to her and broke their terse exchange.
"Contact me if his condition changes." Snape bowed his head slightly to Hermione, "Goodnight, Ms. Granger. Lupin." He nodded to Remus as well, but there was a clear difference in his demeanor regarding the two roommates. Hermione stepped aside to let him by, her formality dropping at the instant of his absence.
Her shoulders sunk in exhaustion and she scrubbed her face with her hands. She stepped closer to Remus, letting her shoulder nudge his. They stood together in silence, drawing comfort from the other. Hermione breathed in the warm spice of his scent and felt as if the constant static in the back of her mind mercifully lessened. She savored the quiet.
Remus leaned close for a moment and dropped a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. "Goodnight, love. We can talk tomorrow." He gave her small hand a squeeze in his own, warm and calloused hand.
Hermione let out a small noise of contentment, soothed by his strong presence. Even after the sound of his footsteps faded from the room, Hermione felt Remus' strength and support fortify her and quell the shaking in her fingers. She turned to look at Draco, his light hair contrasting beautifully against his black satin sheets. His skin was no longer pallid, but characteristically pale. His face was completely relaxed in his unconsciousness, and she couldn't help but observe that he somehow still carried his masculinity and refined demeanor.
She sat on the edge of his bed, leaning forward to check his temperature with the back of her hand. She felt a slight pull in her lower stomach at the feel of his smooth skin and she swallowed thickly. She shook her head to refocus herself, unhappy with her body's recently overactive libido.
Hermione moved to the chair beside the bed, pulling a book from Draco's bookshelf and opening it on her lap. She curled her feet under herself and settled in for a long night.
The moon may be high,
But I can't see a thing in the sky.
I only have eyes for you.
The harsh sounds of his breathing were all he could hear. He turned his head abruptly to either side, wincing when he felt the brittle tendons of his neck pull. He regretted his decision to rest against a tree earlier in the evening, but his fatigue had been so strong he could barely lift his shoes. His jeans were tucked messily into his boots, spattered with mud and dark red, almost black, blood.
"Fuck."
He cursed gruffly when a long branch scraped against his leg, tearing the denim and ripping another gash to join the others. His fingers wrapped tightly around his wand, choking the neck of the smooth wood. He continued through the woods, crouched low to avoid being spotted by the men pursuing him.
He knew that apparating was a risk; the sound was a clear giveaway to any mystical beings nearby, but he couldn't just leave Draco bleeding out on the floor of the woods. He only wished that he had been luckier when he fled London. His decision to return to the wilderness rested on his fear of the men following him back to Grimmauld Place. He knew that the chase he currently gave was providing Remus and Severus the time they needed to heal Draco. He was also glad that it gave him an opportunity to keep Hermione and the others safe from these ruthless men.
As long as they were far away from this, he could handle it. He leaped over the log in front of him and slid into his animagus form, blending in with the black of the night.
Hermione woke with a gasp, her head snapping from its position against the wall. She cursed, feeling her neck with a cold hand instinctually, but found the pain she felt moments ago absent. Her brow furrowed at the sensation of her own skin feeling foreign to herself.
Draco woke slowly, his eyes cracking awake and he groaned slightly. His arms came down to push himself up the bed and he leaned against the headboard. He felt a deep pain run through his chest and he let out a small grunt.
He pulled the covers down to his waist, letting his fingers run across the angry red scars that spread across his chest like lightning. He grimaced when he noticed the way they overlapped with the scars that the triumphant and great Harry Potter gave him years ago.
A small whimper pulled him from his examination of his own scars, and his gaze lifted to see the woman sleeping by his bed. He crossed his arms gently, cataloging his injuries in the process and judging his condition by the severity of the different aches and pangs.
"Granger?"
He murmured lowly, leaning forward to see if her eyes were still closed. He started slightly at Hermione's abrupt awakening, and he winced at the small chuckle that escaped him. He regretted laughing in his condition, but couldn't help but be amused by her frazzled state.
He watched carefully while she rubbed her neck and raised a brow at her uncharacteristically foul language. He kept silent and observed her thinking, practically able to hear the gears turning in her head.
"Hoping to catch a peak while I'm incapacitated?" Draco smirked at her, flexing his muscles subtly to lend her a more alluring sight. He raised a blonde eyebrow, wincing at the painful pull at his previously undiscovered new scar.
Hermione frowned instinctively, readying a biting retort before realizing his consciousness. She shot up from her perch and strode closer to his side. She sat on the edge of his bed, leaning close to feel his forehead and check for any fever or clamminess. Her eyes were focused on him clinically, seeing him not as a man, but a patient.
Draco detested it.
He reached out to capture her small hands in his, not noticing the way his thumbs softly stroked the smooth skin of her inner wrists. He smirked at the slight flush that spread across her cheeks and emphasized the freckles that fanned her small nose.
Their eyes met and his silver challenged her golden amber, and he enjoyed the frustration and conflict behind hers. His tongue slipped out to wet his lips and he did not miss the way her eyes followed. He felt his body tighten pleasantly, but then realized his arousal and pulled himself back together.
"I'm fine, Granger. Really. Stop pawing at me," He released her hands and waved dismissively at her. "You're embarrassing yourself."
Hermione seemed to remember herself, rolled her eyes and pulled her hands back to her lap.
"Are you sure that you're alright?" She asked formally, busying her hands with the gauze she found on his nightstand. He nodded patiently, allowing her the comfort of retreat. She nodded to herself, before standing and walking to the door.
She turned to him once more, holding the door open. "Remember to drink lots of water and eat when you're ready. You may feel better, but the injury took a large toll on your body and you need rest. Severus has ordered strict bed rest, so I don't want to catch you wandering the house." Draco's posture hardened when she mentioned Snape.
"Severus was here?" He asked stiffly, the smirk dropping from his face. Hermione nodded, not quite understanding his discomfort, but understanding that he'd likely prefer she not ask.
He nodded to himself, before speaking again. "Can you let him know that I would like to speak to him soon?" His gaze was locked to his hands, and she respected his space.
"Of course." She responded quietly, shutting the door behind herself.
Hermione sat in the library, reading through a set of books on incidents of shared consciousness. She knew that her peculiar dream was likely just peculiar, but her gut told her something more significant was going on. Her fingers tenderly held the corner of the page, careful to not fold the aged parchment. The thick pages were slightly yellowed as time went on and the edges were no longer perfectly crisp, but she endeavored to preserve the books long neglected by the tempestuous Black Family.
She had sought the quiet of the library a few hours earlier, eager to avoid the tension between her and Remus and prevent her curiosity from driving her to eavesdrop on the conversation between Draco and Snape.
She struggled to focus on the words on the page, her thoughts overtaken by the desire to know the details of Draco's attack and understand everything that the men were hiding from her. She was always the voice of reason behind her friends and mind behind the operation during the war, so she was extremely uncomfortable with being left out of the loop. She understood that Draco and Sirius' operation was covert and highly classified, but it seemed that Remus and Snape knew details that she was not privy to and that irked her greatly.
She heard the telltale flare of a fireplace above her that signaled Severus' departure from their home. She let out a small sigh, tucking her rebellious hair behind her ear for what felt like the millionth time, and got back to her reading.
Twenty minutes later, Remus entered the library. Hermione tried not to stiffen in reaction to his presence, but her efforts were not realized. Remus frowned slightly, reminding himself to not feel hurt by her subtle rejection.
"Hermione, we need to talk." He fought the urge to shove his hands in his pockets, his hands busying themselves with a nearby book instead. He sat beside her on the couch, careful to keep a respectable distance between them, despite his desire to pull her close and feel her by his side.
Hermione swallowed thickly and closed the book. She was wary of him and made the decision to keep the title of the book hidden beneath her hands.
"What the hell happened yesterday, Remus?" She asked, "I'm in a new relationship or… whatever the hell it is, with Sirius, and I don't lose control the way I did yesterday. I have never felt that out of control with anyone, with the exception of Sirius. I'm not unfaithful." She fixed her hard eyes on Remus, urging him to explain himself. "You and Sirius have both said confusing things that lead me to believe something more sinister is going on. What is our relationship? Does it have anything to do with why Sirius is missing? And what in the goddamn hell happened to Draco? I haven't seen cursed wounds like that since the darkest periods of the war. Nothing we did would stop the bleeding. What in the goddamn fuck is going on in this house?" She growled, her nails digging into the weathered leather of the text on her lap, and she quickly retracted her grip when she noticed.
Remus sat quietly, his gaze settled on the book in his grasp. He shifted slightly, then set the book aside and met her eyes.
"Hermione, I haven't told you yet because it isn't completely my story to tell. Sirius and I were researching the bond, but we weren't finished before this Auror crisis happened." Remus scrubbed his hands over his face tiredly. "I don't know the full story of Draco and Sirius' mission, I only know the following: Sirius and Draco were tracking the Lestrange brothers and Corban Yaxley. They were tracking them through Eastern Europe, but something clearly went wrong."
Hermione nodded, slightly placated by the amount of information given. "What did Severus say about Draco's injuries?" She crossed her arms.
Remus frowned again, this time in concern for Draco. "Severus isn't completely sure what happened, but the wound was definitely cursed. You were right about that. He believes that Sirius dumped Draco here because he was too injured to keep up with him, but there is clearly no love lost between Severus and Sirius, so that is probably not true. I'm not exactly sure why Sirius dropped Draco here." Remus paused, thinking it over.
"He couldn't just leave Draco bleeding out on the floor of the forest, could he?" Hermione grumbled, picking at her fingernails.
Remus reached out suddenly, grabbing her hands in his. Her eyes snapped up to his, her confused eyes meeting his determined gaze.
"How did you know they were in a forest? Even Severus couldn't figure out where they were attacked." Remus was urgent, his eyes gleaming with the possibility that Hermione could lead them to Sirius.
Hermione swallowed, avoiding his eyes. "I'm still not even sure if the vision was real. I'm not a seer, so it wouldn't even make sense." She grumbled, trying not to excite him unnecessarily.
"Hermione," Remus moved closer, invading her personal space. "What are you talking about?"
She shrugged, "Once again, I'm not certain that it's anything to take seriously. I just had a strange out-of-body experience last night when I was asleep." She paused, and Remus nodded her on. She shook her head slightly, took a deep breath, and continued hesitantly, "I wasn't sure whose body I was in at the start, but I knew it was a large man just by the sounds of his breathing. He was running through a dark forest, and then his thoughts were drawn to Draco and us and it became apparent that I was in Sirius' mind."
"Did you see any significant landmarks that could point us to his location?" Remus asked, unsure of when he had grabbed her hands, but he took the time to soothe her by running his thumbs across her small wrists.
She shook her head. "No, I just know that it was a forest somewhere in England. He was worried about the sound of his apparition and being found, and he's been roughed up. He left Draco here for us to find, certain that we would be able to heal what he could not. He fled London in the hopes that by giving chase, he could give you and Severus enough time to figure out how to heal Draco." She took a deep breath. "I don't know how long he's going to be on the run, or what he's trying to do. It was just a small snapshot."
Remus squeezed her hands comfortingly. "It's not insignificant. We know now that Sirius is alive. That's huge." He smiled, his face relaxing for the first time in 48 hours at the news that his best friend was safe and relatively unharmed.
Hermione looked down at their joined hands thoughtfully. She carefully removed her hands from his.
"I don't understand what is going on between us, but I know that it will have to wait until Sirius returns." Remus nodded understandingly and stood up. He nodded his head slightly to her before leaving her alone in the library.
I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
He was standing in a filthy dark bathroom, staring down at a white porcelain sink, tainted by rust. His large calloused hands were positioned on either side of the sink, and the tension in his shoulders echoed in Hermione's own. His black t-shirt was torn and splattered with dried mud. He fingered his shirt, contemplating removing it to clean it in the sink, but he knew that he didn't have the time to wait for it to dry.
He shook his head, waving a quick 'Scourgify' at himself. He grimaced at the unpleasant sensation on his already scraped skin.
He looked up into the mirror, and Hermione was shocked to see his face looking back at her. She had understood that she was in his mind before, but seeing his battered face made it all the more tangible.
Despite the dirt and scratches across his face, the bloodstains that peaked out of the collar of his shirt, and the sweat that slicked his hair back; he was still devastatingly handsome. His dark hair was messy and his strong jawline could break marble. He was more unkempt than usual, his dark stubble contrasting his smooth skin. Hermione idly remembered the feel of his slight stubble from their night together, and she wondered how this longer hair would feel running along her skin.
"Hermione." His stormy blue eyes were locked on the image he faced, appearing to him as simply his, but he understood the significance. "I'm coming home soon, love." He reached out to touch his image in the mirror.
You are here, and so am I.
Maybe millions of people go by,
But they all disappear from view.
Hermione's head fell forward and she jolted awake. She heard urgent knocking at the front door on the floor below her and hurried to get up from the couch. She ran down the stairs, seeing the broad form of Remus reaching to grasp the door.
Remus turned at her appearance, confused as to her haste. His eyebrows shot up in understanding, and he turned instantly to rip the door open.
Sirius leaned heavily against the door, holding his side with a bloodied hand.
"Told you I'd be home soon," Sirius smirked at Hermione. He tugged her close with his free arm, kissed her heavily, and then collapsed into the house.
And I only have eyes for you.
