AN/ Harry Potter has discovered Hermione's best kept secret. Draco Malfoy. The scuffle lands Draco in the hospital wing, and Hermione has a conversation with him about his choices. Takes place in an alternate 6th year timeline in which Hermione and Draco fell in love in secret.
"I told them not to let you in, Granger. I do NOT wish to see you." Draco Malfoy said covered by what must be a century old blanket in the hospital wing.
His arm was bandaged, and his face was bruised, and puffy. Around his nose was the worst of it, already having taken a mostly black hue on the skin. Harry must have broken his nose, Hermione realized. Sure enough when she approached the head of the bed his table held a glass vial, Skelegrow. Madame Pomfrey had not yet cleaned up her work space.
"Did you hear me? I told you to leave!" He asked seemingly losing more patience with each syllable.
Hermione gave a non committal noise, as she dragged a chair over to the side of his bed. She drew the curtains around them with her wand. The room was empty apart from the two of them, she had made sure on her way in.
"I've decided i might take up knitting." Hermione said to him, he responded with an most incredulous look. "I always thought green was your color, but red rather suits you, don't you think?" She was making a rather poor joke about the blood currently staining his shirt.
"Listen to me, you FILTHY little Mudblood, i told you to get out of here. Don't make me get my wand." He threatened obviously the joke had not been as amusing to him. He was trying to hurt her, in order to get her to leave but Hermione could see through it. She could see right through him.
"Hmm." She responded "That word no longer bothers me, you desensitized me from it long ago, Malfoy. If you want to hurt my feelings you'll need something better than Mudblood. Honestly it is just so worn out."
Hermione had brought her school bag with her, there was a book she needed to consult. She retrieved it from the bag, and opened it across her lap. Making herself as comfortable in her chair as possible.
Draco watched her in silence. Internally fuming at Hermione for being such an insufferable witch. He wanted her to leave, to never speak to him again. Hadn't they just proven how stupid they had been. Hadn't they just proven how dangerous their being together was.
Potter had smashed his nose in, and given Draco a proper thrashing earlier. Draco had not returned the punches, because Potter was her friend. He had only seen Draco, and Hermione kissing in the library. What might Potter do if he knew they had done much more, Draco wondered. Just one kiss had landed him in the hospital wing, and Hermione had been in tears. Allthough now Hermione had seemed fine, Draco knew it was an act.
She was the brightest witch of their age, she understood perfectly that their little game was up. Even now Potter might be running through the school spreading the biggest piece of gossip that would hit Hogwarts since Moaning Myrtle died. Probably not though, Draco did not like Potter, but on all accounts of what he had seen he was a loyal friend to Hermione. Draco knew Potter would be willing to protect Hermione, with his life if need be. He would not sell her out easily.
"Hermione i-" he tried but was stopped when she raised one finger. It was her signal when she was reading. Do not interrupt me unless you want to be cursed, was the general meaning.
"There." She said seeming satisfied, and snapping the book shut, and storing it back in her bag. "Draco i don't pretend to understand the many ways in which you are being pulled, by both sides. I do know, you are not a killer, but if you don't break away from the death eaters, from your family soon. You will be. They will make you a killer, worse than a killer Draco."
"Is that what you think i care about?" He asked her genuinely surprised. "I don't give a damn about my moral compass Granger. I do care about what happens to my family. However if you lined up 100 men, and told me their deaths might save you. I would kill every last one of them. Without remorse."
She cringed at that. Good she needed to see to understand, that he was not wholly good. That he was at best morally grey.
"Draco." She took a breath. "Let me help you. Let Dumbledore help you. There are places you could go. They would never find you." They being his parents, and their death eater cohorts.
"Yes, because when Dumbledore put the Potter's into hiding that worked out so well for them. Remind me their orphan son is the one who beat me bloody earlier, right?" His wounds hurt, and he was lashing out more than what he normally might.
She ignored his last remark. "I could be the secret keeper for you. You trust me don't you." He assessed her, ringlets of hair had fallen out of her braid, and he could see flecks of his blood on her cheeks. It had splattered in a way that would make one think Hermione had freckles.
"With my life." He answered her, finally deciding to stop trying to get her to leave. It was a lost cause he could see that. "But Hermione if they ever caught one of us. They would kill us. Whoever they caught first would be bait, and the other would be forced to watch as they were killed. It's how they operate. They use everyone you love against you."
"So you love me then?" He rolled his eyes, of course that was all she had taken away from what he said.
"You doubted that?" He questioned.
"You did just call me a filthy Mudblood." Hermione quipped at him, and he smiled against his better judgment.
"Yes. I love you, and i'm terrified that fact might get you killed. So why don't you do us both a favor, and run along back to the Gryffindors. Tell them i attacked you in the library, tell them whatever they will believe. Anything but the truth."
"I can't." She answered.
This was what infuriated Draco about Hermione the most. When she made up her mind she was impossible to move.
"Do you not understand?" He briefly tried to pinch the bridge between his nose, but the sting of regrowing bones forced his hand down. "You are forcing me to choose. All the choices are hell. If i choose my parents i loose you. If i choose you i loose them, and i could still loose you! I cannot win."
"You don't know that. You have no way to know you would loose me, that i would be killed." She argued.
"Let me ask you this then," he pulled her hand into his own trying to memorize the lines, and the scar above her thumb. "When the Dark lord comes for Potter, because he will come one day, will you stand aside? Or will you fight at Potter's right hand?"
Her silence confirmed what he had gathered. She would follow Harry Potter to the bitter end. She was a loyal friend to him as well.
"So," Draco said "you can see why I'm hesitant to make this choice."
"Harry needs me." Hermione said.
"I know." Draco replied.
"He won't tell anyone. About why he attacked you earlier. They took him to Dumbledore before i could talk to him, but i know he won't." Hermione said. "I think he'll get detention, if that makes you feel any better."
"I know. It does a little."
She began to climb into the bed next to him. He did not stop her. He scooted over to give her room. When she curled into him, he knew for certain they were doomed. He could not deny Hermione Granger anything. It turned out not even at the expense of his parents lives. He was a terrible son.
"I have a plan, Draco."
"I have one to." He replied.
"What's yours?" She asked.
"You leave this room, and tell anyone who will listen that Draco Malfoy is the biggest arse, and biggest bigot there is. He attacked you and your friend Harry Potter in the library. I will look out for you on my side of the coming war. At Malfoy manor i can hide you in plain sight. You live, i live, my parents live."
"Except all of my friends would be dead." She commented.
"They would be." He confirmed.
"I have a better plan." She wrapped her hand around his chin forcing him to look down at her. "You do the right thing. What you know is right. You help the order of the phoenix win this war. If your parents make it out of everything unscathed there are ways to ensure their future safety. To ensure they do not go to Azkaban for their part."
"They will be killed the moment Voldemort knows i have deserted his cause. There is no after for them."
"We fake your death, and then you won't be a deserter." He sighed because that actually did not sound like a bad idea. His parents would be safe, well as safe with the dark lord as one could be.
"How do you propose we keep them out of Azkaban?" That was impossible Draco was sure.
"We make deals, unbreakable vows to the right people. The minister for magic, Dumbledore. In exchange for your help, and information your parents would be pardoned." Draco hated to admit, it was not the worst thing he had ever heard.
"You cannot fake my death. The manor will recognize that i am still alive."
"From what i read earlier," she motions to her bag "it can be done. The manor recognizes your blood essence. There are spells, and potions. We can alter your blood. The manor will think you dead."
She held his gaze, and pressed her lips to his gently at first then harder. They kissed like they had been starved. Losing track of time, and their whereabouts. The world fell away, it was only them.
Until Hermione pulled back and asked, "So, Draco, what will you do?"