Hermione was kneeling beside Draco, bandaging and rebandaging his wounds over and over again, but the blood kept seeping through the cloth.
"Draco…what happened to you? You need to tell me what happened or I can't help you." She was beginning to panic.
"Reign…of Fire. Blood…pours out…body…on fire…can't stop unless…have antidote." He coughed once more, clutching his chest in pain.
"What's the antidote?"
"Potion…page forty-five…" He blacked out once more.
Hermione knew exactly what he was talking about. Draco, which he told her one night, carried a small black book filled with antidotes.
A "Little Black Book", as some may call it.
She pulled the book out of his cloak pocket, her fingers pausing to twirl a strand of his hair around her finger. He would not leave her…not now, not ever.
After furiously flipping through the pages, she landed on one that was titled "Reign of Fire Antidote" scrawled across the top and little scribbles of fire and pools of blood around the potion itself.
So he had been plotting against Alex for a very long time…
Hermione scanned down the list of ingredients, taking mental notes as she went. Then, she was off, searching every storage cabinet in the little house they were in for all the ingredients.
Sweat was pouring down her face as she carefully ground, minced, and mixed the ingredients together. Her goal was simple and hopefully easy to reach: Keep Him Alive.
"Hermione…isn't it…complete?" Draco turned to look at her, wiping a stream of blood from his nose.
"Yes. It's done." She handed him a flask of the antidote and he quickly drained it.
"Yuck. Horrid taste, that stuff." He sighed heavily. "I have lost a very large amount of blood, but at least the flow stopped, so it should replenish itself in a few days time."
"Draco?" Hermione had a very panicky look on her face again.
"We have to leave, I know."
"Will you be able to walk?"
"I'm fine, love. Are you all right?"
Hermione nodded. "We really have to go."
"You know…we could die if we run now. If we wait just a few more minutes…"
"NO! What, are you insane? WE HAVE TO GO! Draco…my life means nothing to me anymore. If I die now, I know I've saved your life. I paid you back for everything you have done for me."
"I won't let you do this to yourself."
Hermione softly kissed his lips. "Well, you are going to have to, because here they come."
All Draco remembered from that moment on was the sound of a wand backfiring on itself, the shouts from down the hall, and the feeling of asphalt beneath his feet as he ran, clutching at Hermione's fingers.
He wasn't about to let her die just so he lived.
Not when she just saved his life.