Chapter 3: Angelic Appearances
Hermione stayed in the hospital wing for two days being treated for a concussion and broken ankle. During that time Draco had moved into their new living arrangements and finished all his holiday homework. He had prepared all the books, quills and paper neatly on her desk needed for her homework, and on the last day a present in a black box tied with a blue satin sash also awaited her return.
He hadn't dared enter the hospital wing afraid that Harry or Ron would be sitting by her side. Hermione however lay heartbroken in the room alone fearing that what had happened while she was unconscious would change them forever.
When she was finally allowed out limping slightly she approached her new living quarters. The past few days of emotion began to flow, when she realised that Draco had not come to see her to inform her of the new password.it had all become too much. She crumbled to the floor her back sliding down the wall until she hit the ground with a defined thump. Her head resting on her knees she began to sob quietly her body shaking with her cries.
She hadn't been there long before Draco came barreling around the corner his face covered by a thick red book. He almost fell over Hermione as she tried to hastily stand, the blood rushing to her head and causing her to feel faint. Draco instantly dropping his book braced the now swaying Hermione.
"Eternity shall hold the key," he rasped and the portrait of a very large black stallion ridden by Godric Gryffindor himself swung open. Slowly he walked Hermione to his Slytherin couch and sat her down, then running to fetch his book back from the floor outside.
Hermione held her hand to her forehead as she shifted her legs to lay on the couch. The room had stopped spinning now. Draco walked over and crouched next to her on the floor looking at her closed eyes. He replaced her hand with his and felt the heat radiating from her forehead.
"Hermione I think you should be going to bed now, please don't argue with me." He finished as she began to open her mouth in protest. He placed her hands around his neck and putting one arm under her knees and the other under her back he slowly lifted her and carried her into her neatly furnished room. Placing her onto the bed he found that she was already asleep. After removing her shoes and jacket he backed out quietly, closed the door and resumed his reading.
As the clock struck midnight he closed the solid book and trudged to his room changing into his favorite boxers, silver with green snakes. He climbed into bed falling into a dreamless sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. His dreams were empty and free, but not for long...
When she had first awoken Hermione still lay in her muggle clothes on her red and gold quilt shivering slightly...then she remembered just what had led to her being there, quickly rising she brushed her hair and changed into her pajamas, night or not she intended to wear them anyway. She crossed the common room stopping briefly to read the title of the large book that lay on Draco's lounge.
"101 Mythical Creature Cures, for Everyday Maladies." Not bad for light reading she thought continuing to her described destination.
Cautiously opening the large oak door she peered in, Draco lay in a twisted knot of sheets his quilt slumped on the floor below. He shouted out to someone, screaming in agony.
"Mother...no!" She instinctively ran to him. Climbing gently onto the bed she brushed his hair back from his face, small beads of sweat covering his forehead. Remembering the tale of his mother's death she assumed it was a nightmare he had relived many times before. After holding him close a while and whispering in his ear he quieted, his breathing however was still came shallow and fast. She then began the task of untwisting the sheet that seemed to be choking him, he had stopped thrashing about but was wound tightly in his covers.
When she had both him and his sheets under control, she moved to their bathroom and grabbed a face washer, wetting it slightly she placed it on his forehead. When his breathing had returned to normal she kissed him gently on the lips and replaced the covers over him returning the cloth back to the bathroom. Then left to find suitable reading material to occupy her time, she returned quickly with Draco's book of choice and sitting in his large winged desk chair settled down to watch over him whilst he slept. But she soon found that it not only Draco that required sleep. Her eyes closed on the last sentence she could manage then with a dull thump the book dropped from her lap and she too fell asleep.
Draco's eyelids slowly fluttered open to his majestic surroundings roving his eyes over the room, he stopped upon Hermione's sleeping form draped lazily in his rather large desk chair. He noticed his latest book face down on the floor. Moving quietly around the room as he dressed careful not to wake her although he would have liked to ask just why she was watching over him in his room. Once he had completed the task of dressing he picked up his book from the floor and placed it gently back onto the desk. Turning he caught Hermione yawn as she began to wake. She smiled up at him and stood to stretch, she then walked over and wrapping her arms snugly around Draco's waist whispered in his ear.
"I love you Draco, now and forever." He turned in her grasp and kissed her deeply. Her hands began to move up into his hair, he smelt strongly of aftershave, she drank in the smell as she closed her eyes and savored the moment.
"I see you are feeling better today" he said and smiled.
"Thanks mainly to you...I'm sorry if I startled you this morning asleep in your chair, it must not have been a pleasant thing to wake up to. But I came in to wake you, but you were screaming for your mother. I just wanted to watch over you to make sure you were okay." She replied with a slight look of worry in her eyes.
"Nothing could be better than waking up and finding an angel asleep in your room." He said and kissed her gently. "I'm sorry I didn't come visit you in the hospital wing Harry and Ron didn't seem to welcoming after they found me with you." He looked away a guilty look played across his face. "I got you a present, although I know nothing can make up for my actions."
"You bought me, a present for something that was completely beyond your control.for something that wasn't even your fault." Her look of astonishment surprised Draco.
"I bought a present for everything I have done wrong against you, absolutely everything, all the times I called you a mudblood for all the six years that I taunted you, it was my fault I should have come to see you, instead of being a wimp. I bought you a present because I love you. I left it on your desk, go and get it I'll meet you in the lounge and you can open it."
Hermione turned quickly and ran across to her room. Meeting with Draco on his green and silver Slytherin lounge she settled herself in Draco's lap resting her head on his chest as she pulled the blue satin sash away and slowly lifted the lid.
Hermione stayed in the hospital wing for two days being treated for a concussion and broken ankle. During that time Draco had moved into their new living arrangements and finished all his holiday homework. He had prepared all the books, quills and paper neatly on her desk needed for her homework, and on the last day a present in a black box tied with a blue satin sash also awaited her return.
He hadn't dared enter the hospital wing afraid that Harry or Ron would be sitting by her side. Hermione however lay heartbroken in the room alone fearing that what had happened while she was unconscious would change them forever.
When she was finally allowed out limping slightly she approached her new living quarters. The past few days of emotion began to flow, when she realised that Draco had not come to see her to inform her of the new password.it had all become too much. She crumbled to the floor her back sliding down the wall until she hit the ground with a defined thump. Her head resting on her knees she began to sob quietly her body shaking with her cries.
She hadn't been there long before Draco came barreling around the corner his face covered by a thick red book. He almost fell over Hermione as she tried to hastily stand, the blood rushing to her head and causing her to feel faint. Draco instantly dropping his book braced the now swaying Hermione.
"Eternity shall hold the key," he rasped and the portrait of a very large black stallion ridden by Godric Gryffindor himself swung open. Slowly he walked Hermione to his Slytherin couch and sat her down, then running to fetch his book back from the floor outside.
Hermione held her hand to her forehead as she shifted her legs to lay on the couch. The room had stopped spinning now. Draco walked over and crouched next to her on the floor looking at her closed eyes. He replaced her hand with his and felt the heat radiating from her forehead.
"Hermione I think you should be going to bed now, please don't argue with me." He finished as she began to open her mouth in protest. He placed her hands around his neck and putting one arm under her knees and the other under her back he slowly lifted her and carried her into her neatly furnished room. Placing her onto the bed he found that she was already asleep. After removing her shoes and jacket he backed out quietly, closed the door and resumed his reading.
As the clock struck midnight he closed the solid book and trudged to his room changing into his favorite boxers, silver with green snakes. He climbed into bed falling into a dreamless sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. His dreams were empty and free, but not for long...
When she had first awoken Hermione still lay in her muggle clothes on her red and gold quilt shivering slightly...then she remembered just what had led to her being there, quickly rising she brushed her hair and changed into her pajamas, night or not she intended to wear them anyway. She crossed the common room stopping briefly to read the title of the large book that lay on Draco's lounge.
"101 Mythical Creature Cures, for Everyday Maladies." Not bad for light reading she thought continuing to her described destination.
Cautiously opening the large oak door she peered in, Draco lay in a twisted knot of sheets his quilt slumped on the floor below. He shouted out to someone, screaming in agony.
"Mother...no!" She instinctively ran to him. Climbing gently onto the bed she brushed his hair back from his face, small beads of sweat covering his forehead. Remembering the tale of his mother's death she assumed it was a nightmare he had relived many times before. After holding him close a while and whispering in his ear he quieted, his breathing however was still came shallow and fast. She then began the task of untwisting the sheet that seemed to be choking him, he had stopped thrashing about but was wound tightly in his covers.
When she had both him and his sheets under control, she moved to their bathroom and grabbed a face washer, wetting it slightly she placed it on his forehead. When his breathing had returned to normal she kissed him gently on the lips and replaced the covers over him returning the cloth back to the bathroom. Then left to find suitable reading material to occupy her time, she returned quickly with Draco's book of choice and sitting in his large winged desk chair settled down to watch over him whilst he slept. But she soon found that it not only Draco that required sleep. Her eyes closed on the last sentence she could manage then with a dull thump the book dropped from her lap and she too fell asleep.
Draco's eyelids slowly fluttered open to his majestic surroundings roving his eyes over the room, he stopped upon Hermione's sleeping form draped lazily in his rather large desk chair. He noticed his latest book face down on the floor. Moving quietly around the room as he dressed careful not to wake her although he would have liked to ask just why she was watching over him in his room. Once he had completed the task of dressing he picked up his book from the floor and placed it gently back onto the desk. Turning he caught Hermione yawn as she began to wake. She smiled up at him and stood to stretch, she then walked over and wrapping her arms snugly around Draco's waist whispered in his ear.
"I love you Draco, now and forever." He turned in her grasp and kissed her deeply. Her hands began to move up into his hair, he smelt strongly of aftershave, she drank in the smell as she closed her eyes and savored the moment.
"I see you are feeling better today" he said and smiled.
"Thanks mainly to you...I'm sorry if I startled you this morning asleep in your chair, it must not have been a pleasant thing to wake up to. But I came in to wake you, but you were screaming for your mother. I just wanted to watch over you to make sure you were okay." She replied with a slight look of worry in her eyes.
"Nothing could be better than waking up and finding an angel asleep in your room." He said and kissed her gently. "I'm sorry I didn't come visit you in the hospital wing Harry and Ron didn't seem to welcoming after they found me with you." He looked away a guilty look played across his face. "I got you a present, although I know nothing can make up for my actions."
"You bought me, a present for something that was completely beyond your control.for something that wasn't even your fault." Her look of astonishment surprised Draco.
"I bought a present for everything I have done wrong against you, absolutely everything, all the times I called you a mudblood for all the six years that I taunted you, it was my fault I should have come to see you, instead of being a wimp. I bought you a present because I love you. I left it on your desk, go and get it I'll meet you in the lounge and you can open it."
Hermione turned quickly and ran across to her room. Meeting with Draco on his green and silver Slytherin lounge she settled herself in Draco's lap resting her head on his chest as she pulled the blue satin sash away and slowly lifted the lid.