Hermione felt incredibly awkward being in Draco's dorm, invading his space. She absolutely despised the silence, thick with discomfort and awkwardness, that hung over the three occupants of the house. She hated that she was the one that had transformed an otherwise comfortable atmosphere into one of tension.
Draco's roommate had made it apparent that her presence was welcome here and had been overall nice to her during her three day stay. But even with his reassuring words she still felt like she was intruding.
As for Draco, he hadn't even said a word to her since that first day. He only checked on her to see the progress of her healing and provide her with ointments and painkillers when she needed them. Hermione was sad that things weren't amicable between them anymore.
Hermione sat in the bedroom reading a book when she heard a loud knock on the door. Her breath caught in her throat, her mind instantly recognising the rhythm and tone of that particular knock.
"Oy, who the fuck is knocking like that?" She heard Blaise, Draco's roommate, yell as he approached the door. Hermione gulped as she heard him open the door, followed by a grunting sound and heavy footsteps that stomped into the small living room. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Where is she?" Hermione almost fainted upon hearing that voice. A wave of nausea engulfed her. How had he located her?
"May I help you sir?"
"Listen here you prick, I'm looking for my girlfriend. Get her out here now if you know what's good for you." He growled.
"Hey what the fuck is going on here?" Hermione heard a third voice, Draco's.
"Hey arse, where the fuck is my girlfriend?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Don't play dumb with me, I know she's here, I know you're the arsehole that she's been shagging behind my back. I suggest you get her out here before I come in and drag her out myself."
Hermione listened to the entire interaction, tears of trepidation and anxiety cascading down her face, her heart still. If Ron found her that would be the end. He would kill her for sure. Her fingers dug into the sheets as fear gripped her insides.
The door opened, a low creaking sound ringing out. Hermione looked up, hoping to see Draco. Instead, Blaise's boyfriend, Harry stood by the door, looking at her with concern etched on his face. Today he was adorned in a baggy hoodie that appeared to have belonged to Blaise, and a pair of leggings that were ripped by the knee. His dark head of raven hair was messy as though he had just risen out of bed, and his glasses were off, so the magnificent colour of his emerald green eyes was apparent.
"Hey, you okay?" Hermione maintained her silence, looking down at the sheets. Harry pushed through the silence, continuing to speak with a small smile on his face. "Is that your boyfriend that's at the door? Well he sure is a prick!" He chuckled, his laughter dying down when he realised that Hermione was still down. He walked towards her hunched form, sitting at the edge of the bed. "Look, I'm not much of a conversationalist, so I'm afraid I won't engage with you as well as Draco can. All I'm going to say now is that you're a really pretty girl Hermione, and whatever shit this man, no, boy, has been putting you through, you don't deserve it. No one does. I may not know you as well as Draco does but all I know is that you're smart for gathering all your courage and leaving his abusive arse behind. It wouldn't have been beneficial for you to stay." With that, he stood up and left.
Hermione felt the heat of a tear as it slid down her face, announcing her frustration and angst. Often she had asked, "why me?" Why was the responsibility of being Ron's punching bag placed on her? What had she done to deserve to be treated like shite? Was it because she had denounced God all those years ago, deciding that she didn't need the words of an outdated and biased book to dictate her actions? What was the need for all her suffering?
Ron was still arguing with Draco, and Hermione had drowned out their words until that point. "... Hermione, if you are here, even though I'm certain that you're fucking here, I want you to listen carefully. You better hope I don't bump into you in these halls or I swear—" Draco cut him off abruptly. "Get the fuck out, you piece of shite!" He yelled, then there was a grunt, and the sound of the door shutting. There were a few more bangs on the door before the noise finally died down. Hermione released a breath that she unknowingly held. There was an inaudible mumble from Blaise followed by a grunt by Draco, and then his footsteps began to approach the room.
"Hey Hermione? How are you holding up?" Hermione swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "I'm so sorry about that."
Draco made a dismissive sound. "What? You don't have to apologize. He's the one that's out of hand, not you."
Draco took a seat on the edge of the bed, close to Hermione. He took her hand in his large ones, giving it an affectionate squeeze. Shockwaves rippled through Hermione's nerves at the action.
For the first time in a while, Hermione took a proper look at him, her eyes divulging deep into the depths of his grey irises to discover the remorse, and sadness, and the unshakeable feeling that her situation was somehow relatable to something he had experienced. "Thank you for leaving, Hermione. It's a step many couldn't take but yet you bravely took, and I'll always find that admirable."
Hermione was genuinely touched by his words. While he thought her actions to be honorable and worth an accolade, the deep dark of her mind thought her to be cowardly. You know he struggled with anger issues it said. Instead of staying behind and helping him fight it, you leave like a coward. What's a couple of bruises and bumps?
Hermione shook the thought away. To think, if she hadn't made eye contact with that enigma from across the room, and hadn't befriended him, where would she be now? In a battered women's shelter perhaps, sitting with women in far worse situations? In the hospital, hooked to a machine fighting for her life because Ron's wrath had gone out of hand? Dead, buried six feet under?
Draco, was by far, a bigger man than Ron was. And something within her wanted Draco to know this.
"Draco?"
"Yeah?"
"Y-you're six times the man Ron will ever be."
