Taking a seat on her hospital bed, Hermione watched in silence as Narcissa pulled up a chair opposite of her, her posture still as stiff yet graceful as ever. But behind her steely eyes, Hermione could swear there was a new glint of respect she hadn't seen before when the woman had first come to meet with her.

Hermione's hand rested just above her wand, but a feeling in her gut told her she wouldn't have any use for it in her company.

"While I don't think you consider it an accomplishment, I would first like to offer my congratulations," Narcissa began, averting her eyes for only a second as if almost embarrassed at what she was saying. "I doubt I'm the first person you'd like to talk with right now."

"I'm sorry, but Yaxley beat you to it," Hermione replied, a strained smile pulling at the corner of her lips. She didn't hold it in place for long as it turned to a grimace, a painful sting breaking out across the bottom of her cheek where she was sure Yaxley's handprint was still visible.

Narcissa's passive expression morphed into a frown as her eyes flicked down to her busted lip. Suddenly rising from her seat, Hermione watched her move aside a few glass vials in the back of one of the many medicine cabinets lining the room and pulled out a linen cloth and a liquid that strongly resembled vinegar.

Hermione stiffened her shoulders as the blonde woman placed the contents on the night stand beside her bed and popped open the cork, dabbing the cloth into the potion, and turning to face Hermione once again. She paused for a moment, seemingly hesitant if she should just hand over the cloth or dab up the mess Yaxley had left her lips in. Hermione saved her the trouble and extended her hand out, taking the cloth between her fingers and bringing it up to her lip.

"It might sting a little -" Narcissa didn't get the chance to finish her sentence before Hermione yanked the cloth back away, squeezing her jaw together so the burning hiss threatening to escape would stay put in the back of her throat.

Narcissa folded her hands and sat back down in her chair. "My apologies for his actions Miss Granger. Even when he was a guest under my own roof for a period of time, Yaxley was always one to have a bit of a temper. Just dabbing a little on each morning and before bed can do wonders to it. The only thing I can suggest for that bruise for now would be some sort of glamoring charm, and I believe you use ice to help with swelling if I'm not mistaken."

Hermione glanced back up at Narcissa and nodded. Carefully placing the cloth back on her lips, she let the stinging sensation run its course until it eased into a soothing, cool relief. It would have to do for now.

"I, erm, wasn't aware you knew how to use Muggle methods," Hermione said in a low voice, unsure if she wanted Narcissa to hear her statement. She expected the blonde witch to scowl or scold her for her remark, but instead, she just smiled; an odd sight to say the least.

"I can understand where that confusion may come from," Narcissa replied. "But when I was younger, I found a few Muggle methods more useful than glamoring charms for a scraped knee or purple bruise. They are a bit more difficult to master than one might think."

Admiration filled her eyes as Hermione's gaze flickered up to meet hers, hinting that she was mentioning something upon the fact that, despite Hermione's young age, she had mastered almost every charm, every spell, and every jinx she could find. Hermione didn't think that more than a few years ago a Malfoy would be commending her ability with magic.

"I'm sure you have quite a few questions, Miss Granger. In all honesty, I would think it almost foolish if you didn't," Narcissa chuckled. "If I may be so bold as to offer my assistance, I'd like to help you in any way I can. I am, in fact, forever in your debt."

"What?"

Hermione frowned at her comment. When she had agreed to help Draco in the tournament, she hadn't thought of it as much more than a stern promise she wasn't willing to give up on so easily. She wasn't really expecting anything in return.

Seeing her confusion, Narcissa went on. "Miss Granger, you know of me and my family's background. You are aware we all made mistakes that are incredibly hard to forgive, some of which I do not like pondering upon myself. You and my son were enemies all throughout school. He, myself and Lucius all used horrendous terms both away and in your presence. You fought alongside the Order and Dumbledore, while we were foolish enough to fall behind the Dark Lo - er, Voldemort's rule and policy of the Wizarding World. And me asking for forgiveness won't cover those scars that we can't erase."

Hermione was struck silent as she watched Narcissa take a steadying breath. "But aside from that, you agreed to keep my son alive. You helped him through a world he didn't know, and showed him a life he hadn't yet experienced. You never broke your promise to me, and you brought my only son back from those wretched games alive. I don't think you quite understand how grateful I am, Miss Granger. No amount of money could ever repay the debt I am in to you for doing this."

Hermione's eyes were wide, her mouth and throat gone dry with taking in Narcissa's words. She had already told herself time and time again that the past was in the past, and that's where it should stay and remain. She and Draco had gone through the roughest patches of the games together, even though they hadn't been able to hold a conversation before that without insulting one another. But even so, Narcissa still expected her to be angry or harsh against her for the mistakes she had made in the past.

She, Draco and Lucius had all endured Voldemort's reign up front and beneath his shadow; Draco's constant nightmares were proof the family had already been through enough. The thought of accepting the forgiveness someone was offering was seemingly unexpected or borderline impossible to do for her, and she expected it to show through Hermione, and most likely through every other witch or wizard she would come across in her lifetime.

It tugged at Hermione's heart, a sense of guilt reigning over her that Narcissa still thought their deal was on for the sake that she was somehow in debt to Hermione. And it took a moment for the brunette witch to find the words to tell her otherwise.

"Thank you, Narcissa," she finally started, her chestnut eyes locking onto silver. "But I can reassure you now that you're in no debt to me. It may have started out as just some terms on the agreement that I would get Draco out of the Games in one piece, but I think it changed the more time I spent with him. I don't and never really did think of your favor as some sort of payment. His life was no less valuable than mine, and the fact itself that you can see him again should be enough to know that he's just as strong willed as I am. Sure we struggled here and there, but I never considered him as any sort of burden I had to carry."

"And I'd rather you not think you owe me anything for simply helping him through the trials. If anything, he helped me through times I didn't think I would make it out alive were it not for him. He may not know what it's like to truly live without magic, but he was able to pull himself through just as much as I was. The more I've gotten to know him, I can see that he was as capable of getting through those Games as I was from the very start. It was only natural that you would think to take the precaution to offer any protection you could, but if it means you think you're in debt to me from our agreement, please know that I don't want anything in return. Seeing him get back home to his family is the only thing I ask."

Hermione hadn't realized how fast she had sputtered her words out before she took a large gulp of air. Tightening her hands together as they fisted in her lap, Hermione found that she couldn't peel her eyes away from Narcissa's.

The witch in front of her had remained silent, her eyes seemingly taking in every inch of Hermione's face. Behind the genuine wonder if what she had said was true, Hermione caught sight of a curious and mischievous gleam. It was gone before she could even begin to decipher it's meaning.

Narcissa released a heavy sigh and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "You're too gracious for your own words, Miss Granger, but I thank you for them nonetheless."

Hermione nodded and removed the rag from her mouth. The light sting had run thin, but the taste of the potion brewed for bruised cuts certainly tasted like its appearance; she barely held back from taking the other end and wiping her tongue clean.

Lightly clearing her throat, Narcissa shifted in her seat. "If I'm not mistaken, I thought I saw a few friends of yours leaving the Ministry before I made it up here. I assume they came to see you, but seeing as you haven't been awake for more than a half-hour, I suppose you were still sleeping."

"How long was I out for?" Hermione asked, genuine curiosity and worry in her tone.

"About two days."

"What?!"

"Don't be so surprised Miss Granger," Narcissa conceded. "Whatever it is they used to get you back out of the arena certainly did its job. Draco didn't wake from his beauty rest no more than an hour or so before you did."

The brunette witch nodded and glanced down at her feet dangling over the side of the bed. She had the urge to sway them against the covers, but she knew she would sound childish enough with her next question. "How is he? Draco, I mean..."

Hermione could have sworn Narcissa's grin widened before returning to its cool and collected expression. "Recovering well as far as I've seen. His wounds weren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be, especially with that last injury he got during the final trial."

Hermione winced at the memory but kept her eyes fixed to her feet. Narcissa must have picked up on it as her voice softened at her next words.

"There was nothing else you could have done, Miss Granger," she claimed. "If anything, you were giving that girl what she wanted. Living with memories like those certainly isn't easy; I know this from experience. But despite that, you helped her in more ways than you can know."

Hermione said nothing and bit her tongue on retorting with, 'And putting an arrow through her heart did the job?'

"You relieved her of a pain she could never amend with herself," Narcissa continued, picking up on the sudden guilt the girl in front of her was reminded of. "That, I believe, is one of the greatest things you can do for a person, even if the means to do it might not have been in your greatest interest."

Hermione's eyes lifted from the floor to Narcissa's as if she were being drawn to a magnet. Her gaze wasn't that of scolding a child, nor was it like she had just smelled something rotten. She had never seen a motherly warmth other than when Draco had walked up to the podium during the Reaping. Even then, she wasn't sure whether it was just overcoming grief or an actual sign that she truly cared for her son. At the time, she would have said both.

Narcissa's smile lifted and fell in a matter of a few seconds. The warmth was quickly replaced by an overbearing truth hanging over their heads, begging to be forgotten but never to be truly pushed away. Hermione braced herself with the news she knew she had to face, but even so, she enjoyed the moment of peace she had with the woman in front of her for a few seconds rather than admit what was to come.

"You're an intelligent witch, Miss Granger," Narcissa stated. "You know as well as I do that difficult times lie ahead of you. While I am aware that a few of his followers were rather impressed with your...actions, during the final trial, a few were a bit disappointed they didn't get the chance to see Hermione Granger's head swiped off or eaten whole in those Games."

"I know Yaxley was certainly looking forward to it," Hermione returned, her voice cracking after she hadn't said a word after her long rant.

"I only implore you to be cautious," Narcissa continued, her posture both stiffening and easing. "They, like you said, expected you to be finished off within the first hour or two. It comes to the test now whether you're willing to push back when more obstacles are thrown your way. I don't only pass this advice onto you, but to your close friends and family as well. They won't stop until they have what they want, regardless of if it's in an arena or in the middle of the Ministry."

Yaxley's words resounded in Hermione's head as they began to blur together with Narcissa's. Both were saying the same thing, but in two very separate ways that could have differed to another language:

Watch your back.

Be careful who you trust.

The Games aren't over yet.

Hey guys!

Sorry for the short chapter, but I hope y'all enjoyed nonetheless, and be sure to keep a lookout for the next chapter to come next week!

And, as always to you lovely people out there, have a fabulous morning, afternoon, evening, or night!

-Summerwinds :)