"Incoming! Two aurors from the Delgado Assignment!"

Hermione sprung from her chair as the overheard announcement rung through the floor. Flashing lights indicating the patients were to arrive in less than a minute. She jogged with the other healers on the emergency trauma unit, her heart racing a bit too fast knowing that Harry was on that mission for the last week and they weren't due back for another two days.

For two breaths, all the healers were calm, the room was still with tension. Then the massive floo roared, the two aurors laid side by side on a stretcher as mediwitches carried them in. Hermione instantly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Harry come through the floo on both feet with only a burn mark on his arm, some blood on his hands that her gut told her most likely wasn't his.

Hermione and her colleagues started inspecting their patients while running with the mediwitches who gave them reports on what happened. Diagnostics floated through the air, most in red indicating both wizards were in bad conditions.

"Rowan was hit with a curse that knocked him back twenty meters into a wall. Hit his head, split right open. He was mumbling that he couldn't feel his legs on the way here." One of the mediwizards explained, and Hermione frowned seeing the swelling on their brain from the diagnostic.

"Andrews!" Hermione yelled and one of the Healers turned to her. "You take Rowan. Check for damage done to the spinal cord you may need to perform the regeneration spell and at the very least will need ten units of magical core strengthener."

"Ten uni—" Andrews began questioning the high amount of strengthening potion but Hermione angrily turned her head.

"I know what I said! Do as your told and make sure this man doesn't die. Go!"

Healer Andrews took the patient into a room with his team and Hermione continued jogging with the other auror into a separate wing. His hair was soaked in blood, bandages covered his face that were already damp with blood. Their arm looked to be broken and one finger was certainly dislocated.

"What's the report?" Hermione asked, putting the unrecognizable wizard's finger back in place while assessing how much blood was lost.

"Explosion knocked him back, landed on his arm and shrapnel was lodged into his eye. They found him first because of his screaming."

Hermione furrowed her brow then casted an X-ray diagnostic to see how deep the shrapnel was still in his face. It looked as if it went straight through his eye, completely tearing through the optic nerve. They entered the operating room and the nurses began prepping the auror as Hermione instructed.

"We'll need two blood replenishing potions in his system and I need the thickening gel right now." She called, ready to peel back the bandages of the auror.

As she carefully removed them, her operating assistant applied the gel to slow the bleeding. Hermione centered his face and gasped when she caught sight of the other, normal looking side of his face.

"Malfoy?" She quietly said, something in her stomach knotting to the point where she now felt nauseous looking at his mutilated face.

"Healer Granger? The patient is prepped and we are ready."

Hermione looked up at her team then nodded, shoving down all her feelings as she took out her wand and began to surgically repair Malfoy's face.


Draco groaned as he woke, his hand immediately trying to rub the irritated skin on his face but his right arm was tightly bound in place. He looked down, a bit confused and disoriented. His head was pounding and he suddenly felt violently nauseous from the lights in the room.

"Mr. Malfoy please try to relax as I fetch your Healer." A voice requested, but his vision became spotty with black dots and the throbbing in his head worsened.

"What the bloody fuck?" He groaned as he brought his non broken hand up to his head, feeling the wraps covering his eye.

No later than a minute had passed, and in came Hermione Granger with a distraught expression. She turned the dim lights completely off, and pulled up a chair beside his bed.

"Granger." He spoke, trying to itch at the skin under his bandages. His voice was gravelly and scratchy, he desperately needed some water and answers. "What's going on?"

Hermione sighed as she casted a diagnostic. His heartbeat was up, but his oxygen levels were normal. Everything looked fine.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly, almost in a whisper, like she knew it would hurt him to hear anything.

"I'm in pain. What's going on?" He asked again, voice tight and she reached into her pocket pulling out two vials.

"On a scale of one to ten how much pain are you in?" Hermione ignored his question, patiently waiting as he opened and shut his mouth. His one dark blue eye staring daggers into her head.

"Eight." He replied, his own voice causing the throbbing in his head to increase..

Hermione nodded then handed him half a calming draught, already uncorked seeing as he had one good hand. Draco brought it to his lips, tongue sliding out to catch whatever fell from his mouth. Hermione's eyes followed the movement before watching his heart rate turn back to normal.

"Now on a scale of one to ten, how bad is your pain actually?" She asked and Draco was silent for a bit.

"Five." He admitted but then moved with a deep, aggravated sigh. "I'm…uncomfortable. My head is throbbing and my face itches."

He grumbled and Hermione wrote down what he was saying.

"What can you tell me about the incident in Portugal?" Hermione questioned, watching as he briefly fidgeted before shutting his eyes and swallowing.

"Everything was going according to plan." He started, his voice lowering as he took a deep inhale. "We had three of our five suspects detained but the last two must have been absolutely mad. One hexed Rowan with something I had never seen before. Then the other created a massive explosion. I—"

Draco suddenly stopped, his eye moving from left to right as he tried to recall the events. Hermione was insanely curious as to how he would portray the situation.

"Then I was blasted backwards as Potter and the rest of the group got to safety." He vaguely said and Hermione's lip quirked up slightly amused.

"A downplay of the events but correct enough for me to rule out any memory loss issues. What's the year?"

"Two thousand nine." He replied automatically.

"Your birthday?"

"June fifth, nineteen eighty."

"And who is the current Minister for Magic?"

"Shacklebolt."

Hermione then rose from her chair, fixing his IV while placing half of the pain potion into one bag, blushing a bit when he sighed in relief.

"When you controlled the explosion with a containment shield to let everyone safely get away, it blasted you back and you landed on your arm." She blatantly began, not knowing why she felt the need to remind him of his heroic actions. "Debris from the blow hit you straight in your eye, but it luckily wasn't deep enough to cause any other damage except…"

She bit her lip and Malfoy turned his head, looking at her with his one good eye.

"Except?" He said, waiting for her to finish. She bit her lip, sadly looking at him unsure of how he would take the news.

"You lost your eye but a prosthetic was successfully implanted with the help of a specialist. And there's…going to be quite a large scar over the left side of your face."

She waited for a spitting fire, a groan of annoyance from being permanently damaged. Anything to convey his irritation or sadness. But nothing came. Instead he watched her for a long moment, blinking every now and then before finally turning his head straight. His eye shut, face totally relaxed as he came to terms with his reality.

"Okay." He softly said.

"Okay?" Hermione asked a bit confused and Draco looked back at her.

"I'm not dead. No one else from the assignment died right?" He said with equal quietness and Hermione wondered how he remained so calm. Malfoy, a man who took pride in his appearance, exuding a consistent calm arrogance with his looks, did not care that he was going to have a very noticeable scar and fake eye over his face for the rest of his life.

She was mildly shocked, but then had to scold herself for the reaction. Malfoy was a grown man, priorities in order. Of course he didn't care.

"Right, er yeah. Everyone is safe, all because of you." She replied kindly then shook her head, as to get rid of the last part of her sentence. Embarrassed to have acknowledged it to him. "A specialist will come by within the next few days to go over the prosthetic and how to clean and care for it. It—you won't look like Moody. It looks very natural." She cleared her throat, unsure as to why she needed to make him feel better about the situation when he was clearly fine with it.

"You won't be able to return to work for a few weeks and with your new eye, it's imperative you do nothing to strain or overwhelm your brain and body. So no reading, no bright lights, no bending over or lifting heavy objects and um, no puking. I prescribed anti-nausea potion for you to take home but it has to be taken after meals only. Your job for the next three weeks is to just relax." Hermione stood from her chair, putting his clipboard back on the wall.

"Do you need anything right now? Pillows, blankets, food?" She asked and Draco slowly shook his head no. "Right well, mediwitches will be in and out. Your mother was here yesterday when you got out of surgery and said she'd be back today. Ring if you need anything."

Hermione was halfway out of the room when his gruff voice called her name.

"Granger?"

She stopped, shuffling backwards to face him.

"Yes?" She asked, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. Draco took in her appearance for longer than comfortable, his eyes trailing over her nervous face, her teeth worrying the skin on the inside of her cheek. He slowly shut his eyes, the pain throughout his body completely dissipating.

"Thank you."

She was happy she turned off all the lights, he didn't need to see her cheeks turn red.

"Anytime, Malfoy."


A specialist went over the do's and don'ts of what Malfoy's next three weeks in recovery would look like. Narcissa Malfoy was present almost everyday he was in the hospital, fussing over him and making comments about his appearance.

"He'll look normal won't he?"

"Can anything be helped with the scar?"

"Are you giving him the right medication? He looks dreadful. I want to see your credentials."

"I read there are new healing processes to reduce large scars, can we try that?"

Hermione wanted to roll her eyes at every question, but luckily for her, the specialist, Doctor Octenheim who inserted the prosthetic, was very good at handling her questions. Even Draco had to tell his mother to lay off a few times and reassure her he didn't care what his appearance looked like. He had come a far way since graduating Hogwarts, his personality much more humble, yes humble, and he seemed comfortably relaxed in every situation.

A relaxed and confident persona that had gotten him a job as an auror, had him quickly move through field operations to become an assistant of dangerous operations auor. It had caused a friendship to strangely form between him and Harry, and even more surprisingly him and Ron. Hermione had witnessed this relaxed and confident man many times, whether visiting her friends on lunch breaks, meeting them out for drinks and, interestingly enough, now at birthday parties for said friends.

He was hard to ignore, even with his quiet nature. Draco's developed uncaring yet calm attitude caught everyone's attention, including hers.

Hermione was sucked out of her thoughts when Narcissa's voice grew horrified when the specialist told her she would have to help with cleaning the socket.

"You mean…remove his eye?" She gasped horrified.

Hermione looked over her shoulder, stiffing a smirk to herself as she cut Draco's bandages off. Today he was allowed to go home and his face would finally be revealed.

"Well, yes Mrs. Malfoy. It's so he doesn't get an infection. Twice a day, once in the morning and before bed, you will remove the prosthetic and clean around and slightly in the socket. Some bleeding and pus will be normal within the first days." Doctor Octenheim explained.

Narcissa looked white as a ghost and suddenly clutched her stomach.

"Why can't Draco do it on his own? He has one good arm." She argued, looking frightful.

"It's harder to do with one arm since you'll have to pull open the skin then grab the eye. He'll need someone to do it for him while his arm heals." Hermione heard the specialist explain, then Narcissa and him went back and forth about other options.

The noise became quieter and quieter as she focused on removing Draco's bandages. She was gentle with the scissors, careful not to cut him or make him uncomfortable. Draco's one eye remained closed, even after the wrappings were off. Next were the stitches on his face, the dark knots scattered from the beginning of his hairline on the right side of his face and moved across his left eyebrow, over his eye and all the way down to the sharp edge of his jaw.

One by one, Hermione mumbled the incantations to undo the stitches and softly remove them from his skin. He sat patiently, not moving a muscle unless she directed him otherwise.

"Lift your head up for me." She quietly requested, her hand automatically going to his chin to raise his face to the desired area. She took a step closer, his knees pressing into her thighs, so he slowly moved them open for her. Hermione's heart was beating erratically and she was embarrassed that she enjoyed needing to touch and be close to him at this moment. His skin was so warm, cheeks soft with some light stubble.

As she removed the stitches from his cheek and jaw, she heard Narcissa impatiently ask a question that was totally uncalled for.

"Is there really no hope for that scar? It's…massive."

Hermione barely turned her head to look over her shoulder, not believing that was all she could comment on despite her son nearly dying.

"Afraid not. It'll fade with time, but for right now, it'll be purple and red." She said, then removed the final stitches from his jaw. Hermione placed them in the rubbish bin then angled Draco's jaw so he was essentially looking at the ceiling. Dittany was dropped down the expanse of the scar, then with her two thumbs, she gently massaged it into his skin.

"There's no need for dittany after today, but if you feel pain or tightness, a heating balm should help. Just massage it into the scar like this to break up some tissue." She softly said, earning a gentle nod as a response.

She furrowed her brow, trying to contain her blush as she massaged his skin. Their faces were far closer than she had thought. He was breathing directly into her mouth, and the taste of his breath on her tongue made her involuntarily shiver.

"Does that hurt at all?" She asked, her voice a bit pitchy.

"No. It's good." He grunted, eyelids fluttering, attempting to open. The sound reverberated down to her toes and straight into her belly.

When she finished, Hermione reluctantly took a few steps back, allowing everyone in the room to see how he looks. Narcissa pattered right beside Hermione and the other Healer.

"Well, still a handsome lad." He expressed.

Hermione's voice got lost in her throat but silently agreed. Draco's scar was crooked and jagged, the purple and pink somehow blending beautifully across his porcelain skin. But the prosthetic eye is what made her skin flush with heat. While his right eye was a dark blue that nearly looked gray under faded light, his new, left eye was a dim, silvery white. The defined contrast was appealing to look at, silver and blue mixing together as if it had always been or rather always meant to be. It reminded her of a summer storm; while the sky was still bright and cheery, gray clouds could be seen, alerting everyone of its ominous presence.

He was still ruinously handsome and she realized as she was staring, Malfoy was also gazing directly back at her.

"—can call if you have any issues, but let me show you how to remove it. Quite simple actually. Healer Granger, you have the cleaning supplies?"

"Hm? Oh. Yes, right here." She shuffled away to grab the cotton swabs and infection protecting serum. Narcissa stepped to where Hermione was, following her and watching closely as she instructed her what to do.

"Right, so you literally just grab it. Take your index and thumb on the outside, stretch the eyelid open then with the other hand, grab ahold and it should almost 'click' out." Hermione explained as she removed Draco's eye and began cleaning the socket.

She turned to Narcissa and waited for her to make a move to her son to inspect the procedure. Except the mother began to breathe fast, eyes going wide and for a second, looked like she was going to pass out. The woman quickly looked away, bringing a hand to her mouth.

"I-I'm sorry but there is no way I can do this. I'm afraid I may regurgitate my food if I have to see a hole in my son's head." Hermione frowned at the words and put the prosthetic back in the socket.

Draco rolled his eyes, and Hermione looked at how normal it seemed. The silver and blue complimented one another like it was the natural color of his eyes his whole life.

"Is there anyone else that could help you Mr. Malfoy? A friend or a girlfriend—"

"No, no one else." He quickly replied.

Doctor Octenheim gave a reluctant sigh.

"Well I suppose your only other option is to hire a temporary care provider. It really will only take a few minutes, so I'm not entirely sure who would want to waste time in the morning and night. Mrs. Malfoy, are you sure you can't handle it? Would you like to—"

"No. Absolutely not. We will hire a care provider." She said adamantly with a shake of her head.

"I'm not having a stranger come into my house. Are you sure I can't do this by myself?" Draco asked the healer who grimaced.

"If you attempt to do it by yourself with one hand, it may cause more pain since it'll most likely take you a few tries to get it out. I can see if I have any available staff—"

"I can do it." Hermione suddenly said, her neck turning hot when three pairs of eyes turned on her. The words tumbled from her mouth before she had the chance to realize what she was offering. "I'm seven on and seven off and my next rotation is third shift so I'll be available during the necessary times."

Her throat closed after she finished speaking, It was out of place for her to volunteer but maybe the Malfoy's didn't know that. She second guessed that thought the moment her stare darted between Narcissa and Draco.

It was silent for a moment. Narcissa tilted her head as if to get a better look at Hermione. Doctor Octenheim raised his eyebrows, relieved she had offered a solution. Draco blankly stared at her. His scar and eye made him appear more menacing but she knew it was just a look of stoicism.

"Thank you Healer Granger, are you sure you can accommodate?" Narcissa first spoke, a tone of respect as she referred to her as her professional title.

"Yes. As long as it's okay with Malfoy, I don't have any issues with helping." She said and Draco's mouth twitched. She couldn't decide if it was a grimace or the beginning of a smirk.

"That's fine with me." He said then stood from the hospital bed. "What time shall I be expecting you tomorrow?"

"Eight, if that's alright." She replied.

"Perfect. I'll arrange the floo for your arrival. Thank you both for everything. Is there anything else I need to know?" Draco asked as his mother collected his items.

The specialist handed Draco a list of items to pick up at the hospital apothecary and paperwork for his next check up. Narcissa thanked them both, her eyes lingering on Hermione a bit longer when she shook her hand goodbye. It felt like an assessment and she wasn't sure if she failed or passed.


At 8:00 am sharp, Hermione shouted Malfoy's home address and was swept away in the floo. She stepped out into his home, surprised that Malfoy was already up and sitting on the sofa sipping tea. His head turned in her direction, then he stood, walking to greet her.

"Good morning." She said, her voice a bit scratchy since they were her first words of the day. "Ready? We should go into the bathroom to prevent any messes." Being all business helped her not focus on the fact that she was in his home.

Draco nodded, then wordlessly led them into the massive half bath. Of course even the half bath would be larger than her full bathroom. What does a single man need such a large bathroom for anyways?

He was silent, awaiting instructions and watching her with sleepy distinerst. With anxious eyes, she assessed the best way to do this.

"Okay, um, sit on the toilet then." She instructed and Draco did as he was told. Hermione removed the cotton swabs and Draco pulled out the serum, sliding it over to her on the sink. His bad arm was hung in it's cast and sling, his other hanging loosely between his leg. This is the most relaxed he looked. Pajamas still on, sleepy eyes and quiet demeanor. Cozy was the first thought that came to mind, followed by cuddly.

Once situated, she turned to him, eyebrows raised, truly looking at him for the first time that morning. Hermione took a step into his body, his legs parting much like they did in the hospital when she approached him. She easily slid into place, one hand gently lifting his chin so he had to look up.

"Ready?" She quietly asked, looking down at his eyes. The silver and blue irises momentarily captured her attention and it wasn't until he mumbled a ricocheting 'yes' that she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

She pulled open his eyelid, stopping for a moment when he winced since the skin was still healing and likely extremely sensitive. The prosthetic was easily removed and put on the towel, minimal reactions from Draco. Stepping away to grab the swab, her skin pimpled with goosebumps at the sudden cool air. There was no need to step close to him again, so she kept her distance as she cleaned the socket.

"Some bleeding and pus. Again, all normal. How did it feel when you woke up this morning?" She asked, needing to bend a bit to inspect the hole. But not by much. Even sitting Draco's body was exceptionally tall.

"Sore. Woke up with a headache." He grumbled.

"Well, when I clean it at night it's best to just leave it out. You'll have to sleep with the eyepatch then." She said, throwing away one swap and grabbing another. "It may itch in the days to come so try not to excessively touch it. If it's bad though I'll see about getting you an anti-itch cream."

"Thank you." He expressed, blue eye peering up at her distracted face. "I'm sorry to inconvenience you like this."

She smiled a bit. "No inconvenience at all. Besides, I'm off this week. What's ten minutes out of my day?"

Draco sighed, his large shoulders moving upwards.

"Suppose this is better than my mother commenting on my appearance and nearly vomiting at the sight." He said, standing as she threw away the rubbish. Hermione turned, watching as he watched himself in the mirror, inspecting the gaping hole in his head. The silver eye was still resting atop the towel.

It felt like a personal moment she was intruding on. Watching him adjust to his new appearance, to what happened. Even in his nonchalant expression, Hermione bit her lip, wondering if his mother's words had affected him.

"It doesn't, I mean, you don't look bad. Th-the eye looks good…fitting almost and the scar makes you look…not bad." She said, mentally cursing herself at the less than smooth delivery.

Draco pulled the eye patch over his face, his deep blue eye finding her gaze in the mirror. There was a barely detectable smirk on his lips.

"Not bad?" Draco echoed, a weird expression on his face. She simply shrugged, attempting to remain indifferent but surely failing miserably. Then his mouth parted, the smirk deepened. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

Hermione held her breath when he turned to face her, bodies close, the slight feeling of warmth radiating between them. Words began spurting together.

"No—I mean yes, in a way. You still look—I mean you don't look ugly. Your face will be—it looks—"

"Thanks Granger." He said, cutting her off as he now rested his backside up against the sink. She breathed out, face uncomfortably hot. Now that she made a fool of herself, it was time to go. She looked down at her hands, nervously picking at a nail before looking back up at him.

"Is there anything else you need before I head out?"

He looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

"Actually yes." Draco pushed off from the sink and left the bathroom, Hermione following. "Is there anything I can do that won't strain my brain? It seems my list of do's is far shorter than my don'ts."

"Well," She began puzzled. "You're really supposed to be taking it easy. You can go for walks, cook, listen to music or audiobooks—"

"What are 'audiobooks?'" He questioned and Hermione smiled a bit that it caught his attention.

"They're books that are recorded. People record themselves reading them then turn them into a tape so people can listen. It—it's a mugg—"

"Get it for me." He cut her off hastily, then quickly added. "Please?"

Hermione stuttered her response, shocked that he was anxious to try it out.

"S-sure. What, um, what books do you prefer?" She asked, reaching for her bag so she can write down his preferences.

"Anything. I don't care. Bring them tonight if you can." Draco requested, the both of them stopping in front of the fireplace.

"Not a problem. I'll be back at eight." She told him then dipped her hand in the floo powder and left him alone for the day.


"What books did you bring?" He asked immediately, barely giving her a chance to step out of the floo.

"Um hi. Some fiction, history, horror, adventure, mythology. I wasn't sure what you wanted so I picked a bit of everything." She spoke, surprised that he was still so anxious for the audiobooks. He must have literally done nothing all day.

Hermione walked to the side table and pulled out the tape player from her bag with the undetectable extension charm. She pulled out at least 25 different tapes, blushing when she kept having to dig for more. He patiently observed, watching with his one eyebrow raised, partly amused, partly intrigued.

"Show me how to use it?" He requested and Hermione nodded while setting up the device.

"This symbol right here," she pointed on the device, "opens the compartment where the tape will go. Then you take the tape and put it in like this, so it matches with the holes, and then you push it in and should hear a little noise."

As she pushed the top close, the tape shuffled to it's place and Draco's eye twitched at the bizarre noise.

"Then this button right here, the triangle, plays it. And that's it. If you want to switch books or tapes, just press this eject button and take the tape out."

Hermione looked up, seeing Draco's frown creased and a slight pout on his lip. He reached forward with his good arm, and pressed the play button.

"Jack Torrance thought, officious little prick."

Hermione smiled then quickly pressed pause.

"This is to pause it in place. Pressing play will pick up right where it left off. These buttons on the side control the volume and these are to rewind if you missed something or fast forward. Any questions?" She asked as Draco picked up the container the tape was in.

"What book is this?"

"Oh it's called The Shining. Horror book. The author is one of the best scary story writers." She explained nervously, watching as Draco pressed play again.

"Ullman stood five-five, and when he moved, it was with the prissy speed that seems to be the exclusive domain of all small plump men."

He clicked pause, smiling to himself that he figured out the device.

"If you have any issues or problems with it, let me know." She said, then took in his appearance. He was still wearing the same clothes from this morning. Sweatpants and a cotton longsleeve. His hair was messy, though it looked like he attempted to brush it.

"Sorry, but did you shower today?" She asked then immediately regretted it when Draco clearly looked offended. He shuffled away, turning his back to her.

"Just scourgify. It's hard to get dressed with one arm." He mumbled and Hermione suddenly felt like an arse. She had forgotten to ask if he needed help with dressing, and instead just assumed he didn't need it since he never mentioned anything while staying at the hospital.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Did you—" She awkwardly began. "Your cast is waterproof. You can shower and I can...he-help you dress? I'll clean your eye after."

She was a professional. She was a professional offering professional help to a patient. There was no need to act twitchy at the suggestion. No reason whatsoever. But her body grew warm and her lip slipped out to wet her mouth when Draco turned around and looked at her with an amused brow.

"I'd love a shower." He responded, then turned once more and began walking down the hallway. "Come on Granger. Shower is this way."

Hermione followed him, trying to ignore the way her heart suddenly seemed to be pounding in her ears. Inside his bedroom, the lights were all off except for a few candles. Draco had the bathroom lights turned low, to not aggravate his head. She filtered inside slowly, having trouble meeting his stare while he waited for her.

"Right, so…just your shirt I assume? Or will you need assistance with your—" She cut herself off, gesturing to his lower half as she forgot the word 'sweatpants.'

"Just my shirt." He confirmed, his eye squinting as he tried to see if she was blushing or if it was just the growing steam from his shower.

"Okay." She mumbled, stepping forward and taking hold of his wrist while tugging the sleeve. Draco pulled his arm free, letting it hang by his side as he waited for her to remove the shirt from his bad arm. The shirt was pulled upwards, rolling it up and over his head, being careful to not hurt his eye. She had to stand on her tiptoes to pull it completely off his head, her body slightly swaying into his as she did. The careful movements were done all without disturbing or touching any part of his now exposed skin.

A breath was released and she stepped back while placing the shirt on the sink while Draco removed the eye patch. Hermione awkwardly stood, keeping her eyes on him who breathed out a laugh through his nose.

"Unless you want to stay for the show, I'm going to take my trousers off so I can shower."

Hermione's eyes rounded, panicked words flew from her mouth to cover up her odd staring.

"Right! Sorry," She shouted. "I'll um, be in the living room, if you need anything—Oh!" She turned to leave just as Draco's thumb hooked into his sweatpants. She swiftly turned around and he stopped his movements but didn't pull his pants back up. Instead, they hung loosely past his hips, letting her get an eye full, even in the dark light, of the hair at the bottom of his stomach. She paused, words forgotten as she stared for a second too long.

Draco smirked, then raised his eyebrows.

"Yes?"

Her eyes shot up, her chest constricted as she forgot how to breathe.

"Don't uh, don't get soap in your eye socket. It'll burn." She said then turned to shut the door loudly. Pacing back quickly into the living room, trying to get as far away from the steamy shower he was about to take and the images of his half naked body out of her mind.

Damn, he was so fit. Large, bulging biceps and a chest wide enough for the knight bus to stop on. Though she was humiliated for allowing herself a peak, the ripples of muscles down his stomach and the distinct cut at his hips had her unconsciously squeezing her legs together as she sat down.

Malfoy was attractive, yes. And did he somehow grow more unfairly attractive with a new scar and silver eye? Possibly. He looked mysterious and dangerous while still encapsulating the don't care, don't bother me attitude that had witches swooning all the time. It was an advantage he really didn't need.

"Granger?" She heard Draco yell from his bedroom. She hastily stood up, in total disbelief that she spent the last twenty minutes daydreaming about his body.

"Yeah? Are you ready?" She called back, stepping back into his room. Her steps faltered, sticking herself in the doorway of his bathroom.

New sweatpants hung low on his hips. A towel was being brushed through his hair, attempting to dry the darker blonde hair with the help of just one arm. He brushed it down his face, patting the leftover droplets on the right side to avoid the left, then brought it over his chest.

The bathroom smelled heavily of his body wash and she made it her mission for tomorrow to find a candle that resembled its scent so she could bring it home. It wasn't weird, she just thoroughly enjoyed the scent.

"How was, um how was your shower?" She asked, grabbing the clean and folded shirt off the sink.

Draco turned to her, still trying to dry off some of his hair then flashed her a wide, toothy smile that looked genuinely breathtaking.

"Refreshing." Was all he said so she nodded and stepped closer to him.

"Alright, I'm going to put this over your arm first, it should be easier to put on then." She explained, bringing the hold to his wrist then easing it over his shoulder. She opened the head hole for him and pulled it down, her knuckles brushing over his damp and silky hair. He poked his arm through the last hole then smoothed out the wrinkles before taking a seat on the toilet. Hermione gathered the swabs, going through the same procedure as she did this morning.

Draco sat quietly, watching her gentle movements as she focused on applying the serum and cleaning his face. She could feel the stare but did her best to ignore it, deciding he needed conversation to take attention away from her face.

"How's the arm?" She asked and Draco shrugged with the non broken one.

"Hurts." He merely replied and she rolled her eyes.

"That's what typically happens when you break it in four places." She smartly quipped and felt his huff of a laugh hit her nostrils. "You'll likely have to see a physical therapist to get some of the strength back. Even if you're only two and a half weeks in the cast."

Draco hummed, the vibrations felt through her fingers as she held his chin.

"And will you be offering those services as well?" He asked, a tone in her voice she was quite sure what it was. Almost, teasing yet hopeful.

"No, that's not my area of expertise." She responded, throwing away some swabs.

"Neither is eye care and private home assistance, yet, here you are." He retorted, his one eyebrow high on his face.

Hermione sighed, biting on the inside of her cheek. They had already touched on her reasonings for being here, however vague. So instead, she ignored him. "Do you want me to put your eye in? Or leave it out?"

Draco grinned, then turned his head to grab a clean eyepatch.

"Leave it out. You can put it in tomorrow."

Hermione looked at him as she grabbed her bag, placing one hand on the sink to lean her body weight against it.

"You can only wear and use it for an hour and a half tomorrow, you'll have to wear the eyepatch over it then for the whole day." She reminded him of his time schedule, thinking it was odd he'd want to use it in the morning only to take it out immediately.

Draco shrugged his arm then proceeded to leave her in the bathroom.

"Can't you just come back after the hour and half is up to take it out?" He suggested, as if it would be that easy.

It would be that easy honestly. But having to repeatedly come back and forth to his house throughout the day made her worried she'd only embarrass herself in front of him more. Plus, even if she did offer her help, she had things of her own to deal with.

"I-I mean I guess but I may have other things I have to do." She explained.

"At nine thirty in the morning?" He challenged, sitting on the sofa and grabbing the different books on tape. Hermione stood a distance away, wanting to be close to the floo.

"I—yes. On my days off I have specific schedules to make the most of my time. At nine thirty I—" She stopped, about to reveal something that could be seen as embarrassing. To him at least. "I attempt to make a new recipe for breakfast."

Draco looked over at her, frowning a bit and Hermione looked at the table to keep her mind away from his penetrating stare.

"And you can't do that here? There's a perfectly functioning kitchen over there." Draco said obviously, motioning his head to the kitchen.

Hermione was dumbfounded.

"You—sorry what? You want me to make breakfast here?" She repeated, wondering why her throat was going dry.

"You come here at eight, clean me up, put my eye in, then you can make yourself breakfast and by the time you're done, it'll be time to take my eye out again. It's simple really, don't tell me you can't keep up." Draco drawled, explaining it almost in a condescending way that he knew would get a response out of her.

Pressing her lips tightly together, she squinted at him then turned on her heel to the floo.

"Fine, I'll see you tomorrow morning." She said then drifted into the floo. Draco smiled brightly to himself before clicking play on the recording device.


Hermione arrived severely confused as to how she allowed this to happen. With a pan of dough on her hip and her bag in the other, she stepped into his house and walked into the living room where she thought she'd find him. However Draco was fixing some tea and accidentally made her jump when he snuck up behind her.

"Morning." His voice bounced off the walls, sending a familiar twisting into her stomach. Hermione turned with a gasp, placing one hand over her heart.

"H-hi. Good morning. Can I place this in your kitchen?" She asked, holding up the bowl. Draco raised his brow, looking at the pan attempting to guess what the contents were.

"What's today's recipe?" He asked, leading them into his kitchen.

"Pumpkin cinnamon buns." She said, concerned as to why she was blushing already. She cleared her throat when he said nothing. "Shall we head to the bathroom?"

They walked silently. Draco took his place on the toilet, Hermione placing the cleaning utensils on the counter. A routine that already felt unbelievably natural despite it being the second day since he was home. His legs opened up, she filled the space and gently held his face while she cleaned.

"There's already less pus." She mumbled more to herself. "Healing remarkably well since the surgery."

"Compliments to the Healer then." He said and Hermione paused, looking at his dark blue eye that appeared vibrant in the morning. She ran her tongue slowly over the top of her teeth then returned to her previous actions, not knowing how to respond to the seemingly genuine sentence.

Hermione grabbed the eye, wiping the serum around it before propping his eyelid open and pushing it back into place. It unnaturally rolled a few times before turning straight. It reminded her of the Halloween movies she used to watch as a child.

"How's that?" She questioned, not moving away just yet and instead wanted to admire the new and bizarre color of his fake eye.

Draco's gaze flitted to look directly at her. He realized that with the new technology in his head, he was able to see more clearly, almost precisely. He could make out each individual eyelash on Granger's eyelids and the color of her eyes he thought to be a coffee brown was actually a mixture of light browns closest to the pupil. Shades of golden honey, sweet caramel with flecks of dark waves of cinnamon. It was entrancing.

"Great." He said, eyes still fixed on her own, mesmerized that there were so many different shades of brown.

Hermione softly smiled then finally stepped away, but still didn't say anything. The two stared for a few sounds longer before Draco rose to his feet and looked in the mirror. His fingers stretched down his scar, rubbing the flesh on his forehead.

"My scar feels tight." He said, trying to rub some tension out.

"Oh. Have you not used the heating balm?" Hermione asked while chewing on her cheek. Draco opened a drawer and pulled at the balm.

"I have but it's not helping really." He reappeared with the miniature mason jar with a clear, thick balm.

"Have you been massaging it in like I showed you?"

Draco's eyes flashed up to hers, an expression that made her think he was recalling the way she was nearly on top of him as she worked the scar tissue free while he was still in the hospital. Her center coiled as she recalled the memory herself.

"Yes, but it doesn't feel like it's doing anything." He said.

As if pulled by an invisible string, Hermione's arm tugged up, gesturing to Draco to give her balm.

"Well I—" She began but quickly stopped as she felt embarrassed to be offering herself up like this...again. Meeting his gaze, Draco's eyebrows were raised as he waited for her to finish. "I can…help you. Sometimes it feels better when someone else does it."

She cleared her throat, eyes falling to the balm. Draco observed the witch for a second before handing it over, a small grin on his lips that she didn't see.

"Can I put the cinnamon buns in the oven first? They take forty five minutes to bake." She asked and then he nodded.

As she was putting the pan in the oven, Draco stood in the middle of the living room, waiting for her to return. During the moment she was alone, Hermione rolled her neck from side to side then rolled her eyes at herself and the giddy feeling of being able to touch him again. She needed the moment to collect herself, gathering a breath and forcing the reminder that she was a professional to the forefront of her mind.

"How do you want me?" He asked once she returned. Her eyes widened at the deep sound, and she choked on her words as she replied.

"On-on the couch is fine. Just—just sit down." Professional, professional, professional. A mantra, a chant, anything to make this feel normal.

Draco walked to the sofa, sitting in the middle and spreading his legs open in a relaxed position. Hermione quickly scurried to stand behind him.

"Um, you can rest your head back." She instructed and Draco did as he was told. His adam's apple bobbed and eyes were fixated on her. Hermione took a dollop of the balm and put it on the back of her hand, using her index to rub fast circles to get it to heat up. She took his face in both her hands, steadying him the way she wanted, then began to rub the balm over his scar.

Draco's eyes fell shut at the first feeling of contact, a heavenly sigh releasing from his lips. Hermione focused on spreading the balm over the purple scar, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation between her legs. A single breath and her knees were already weak, Merlin, she was truly a pathetic witch.

Working over his cheek, Draco couldn't help the soft little moan that emptied from his throat. Hermione's thumb stopped and she worriedly looked down at him.

"Did that hurt?" She asked.

"No, keep going." He commanded. Draco half moaned at the feeling of pressure on his face but also that he could smell her perfume. Her neck and chest were hovering over him but far enough away where he couldn't feel any of her skin. Only smell the sweet aroma of the flowers and citrus that covered her neck and hair. He inhaled as discreetly as he could, taking the moment just for himself.

"There." Hermione said when she was sure the balm was rubbed into his skin properly. His cheeks were pink, most likely from the temperature of the balm, at least that was her argument. "Feel better?"

"Much." He gruffly responded, his throat bobbing.

She stood straight, then cleaned her hands off on a spare rag she had in her bag. Draco leaned upright, reaching over to the tape recorder and pressing play. Hermione smiled a bit when she realized he was on chapter three of The Shining. He must have listened last night after she left.

Heading back into the kitchen, she quickly pulled out the bowl of icing she made last night, one vanilla, one chocolate. She stirred the icing, checked on the timer and decided to make herself a cup of coffee. Thankfully Malfoy had a machine and a premier roast that smelled intoxicating as she opened the bag of beans. With the cinnamon buns out of the oven, icing drizzled and a cup of steaming coffee, Hermione nearly forgot where she was. It was only when she couldn't find the plates that she had to go back out into the living room.

"Um Malfoy?" She asked and he clicked pause. "Where are your plates? If you don't mind me using them."

He stood up and walked towards her, his silver and blue eye looking ahead as he passed her in the kitchen. He reached at an overhead cabinet Hermione could barely get to even on her tiptoes and handed her a single plate. She frowned.

"There's enough for two. Three really. But you can have one if you want." She offered and Draco looked over his shoulder, his silver eye staring at her before grabbing himself another plate.

"Is it going to be any good? You said you've never made this before." He commented, clearly teasing her but she first didn't realize it.

"Absolutely." She defended with a shriek. "Cooking isn't hard and I had a recipe to follow. I've been dubbed by Molly Weasley as the best new cook in the family." She said proudly.

Draco frowned, looking down at the cinnamon buns as she took a spatula and placed one on his plate.

"You're still dating Weasley then?" He tried to contain a sneer. Hermione glanced up with furrowed brows.

"No, we broke up awhile ago. At least over two years ago." She said, while sliding her own bun onto her plate. She handed him a fork, curiously watching as he cut into his gooey breakfast, brought the fork up to sniff it then fed himself.

He chewed slowly, cutting himself another piece and bringing it to his mouth before he barely swallowed the first bite.

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked a bit impatiently. He nodded, eyes on the treat.

"It's good." He mumbled with a full mouth. Hermione smiled, watching as he shoveled more pieces into his mouth while scooping up the extra icing with his fork.

"Just good? You're halfway done with it." She commented and it grabbed his attention. Draco slowly turned his eyes onto her.

"It's small. Maybe make larger one's next time." He said, grabbing another bun to put on his plate. Leaving the room, Hermione was left to contemplate his words. Next time. Next time she comes over, next time she makes breakfast. It solidified the beginning of a routine and it made her steps feel lighter.

She joined him in the living room, surprised to see the other cinnamon bun half eaten and the other one totally devoured, but she made no comment. Instead she ate in silence as he played the audiobook, the part of the book explaining the most recent summer scandal filling the otherwise relaxing atmosphere.

Hermione grabbed another bun for herself, putting the leftovers in the fridge for Draco seeing as she really didn't need that sweet of a treat tempting her at her house. When she returned, Draco had just pressed play, letting the recording pick up where it was right when Hermione left the room.

A small gesture, but one that Draco was kind enough to do. He was thinking about her, wanting to share something with her.

Before she could over analyze any more of this rather delightful morning, Hermione checked her watch and realized she had to take out his eye now, and it was time for her to leave. After the dishes were collected, washed and promptly put away, she walked over to Draco and stood a few feet away.

"Ready?" She asked.

"For what?" He said confused.

"It's nine thirty. I need to take out your eye and leave."

Draco turned to check the clock on his wall, lips spasming when he realized it was indeed already 9:30 am.

"Right." He said, then sat up straighter. "Can you just do it here or should it be done in the bathroom?"

"Here's fine, let me just—" She stepped closer, hesitantly moving between his legs and shivering when she accidentally brushed her thigh with his knee.

It was easy to pop out the eye, and after it was properly placed in a safe container, Hermione grabbed her bag and told him she'd see him later tonight.

And when she arrived that evening, she realized she was looking for reasons to extend her stay. Fidgeting around, asking questions about his arm and his eye, seeing if there was anything else he needed from her. Three extra minutes were added to the night routine but she eventually found herself walking back to his floo, so she could get ready for her night.

"You're doing surprisingly well for someone who lost an eye and nearly died." She commented, briefly looking over at him while she gathered her supplies to leave. He didn't say anything. "How are you feeling about it all?"

Draco half grinned, a look that showcased he was trying to get a read on her.

"Are you my mind healer now too? Granger you really do it all." He noted and her eyes widened, thinking the words were a dig.

"I don't mean to pry. I just—some patients struggle with transition, especially during a traumatic experience. I didn't want to—you don't need to share I guess, I wanted to see how you're handling it and if you were…okay." She rambled, her face tensing with worry but when she met his face, he had a look of admiration, fondness even.

"I'm doing alright." He said, running a hand through his hair. "I can see, and this wasn't the first near death experience I've faced."

Hermione nodded, the healer in her again taking over.

"Well if you need to…process it at all, I have contacts for mind healers who can help or if you need someone to talk to—I can, I mean I know your mother was a bit…harsh, but I think she was just worried in her own way, so if you wanted to talk about it I'm always—"

"Granger?" He said, stopping her rant. Her mouth clicked shut as he stepped in her direction. "I'm fine, honest. My care is in the best possible hands and the Law Enforcement Department provides counseling for traumatic experiences for Aurors if needed. I know who to go to talk. Thank you for your concern."

Hermione mentally cringed, of course the Auror department had counseling services, she was one of the Healers who helped lobby for the sub-department to be added. She felt foolish at forgetting the fact and her body went hot.

"What's for breakfast?" Draco quickly changed the subject, Hermione thankful she was able to focus on something else.

"Er, crab cake eggs benny." She said and Draco raised his eyebrows, impressed and slightly excited.

"Sounds complicated. Sure you can handle it?"

Hermione, always ready to accept any challenge, tipped her chin up and felt the corner of her mouth turn into a sly grin. Her previous brief humiliation was forgotten.

"I've mastered more complicated things and I rarely disappoint."

With a small, calculated nod, Malfoy held her stare, one dark blue eye while his eye patch remained in place.

"I've noticed."

A small inhale wasn't detected but the rising pink on her cheeks was. Hermione couldn't decide if his stare was intentionally darker or if the look he was giving her was meant to be taken as flirty. Unable to handle the tension, she tightly smiled then said, "Goodnight Malfoy."

"Sweet dreams, Granger." He replied, the words rumbling through his chest. Hermione quickly grabbed the floo powder, not wanting to be there another second as she was sure she was going to eventually embarrass herself.