A/N: Another scary chapter to post! Pretty heavy on the Dramione vibes and there is Ron bashing, which I know some people don't like, so if you don't, skip this one yea?
Alpha love to tectonictigress & TriDogMom as always! :D
Chapter 13 - Me Without You
Take anything you want I'm ready
Take, you can take it I don't care, I don't care
Hey, there's more of me and you've seen nothing
Hey, you've done nothing that I can't repair, I can't repair
No I don't need you, not a little bit
To myself, I've finally admitted it
No I don't need you, not a little bit
Get rid of it, whoa
And now I'm me without you
(And things are 'bout to get real good)
Watch me breathe without you
(And things are 'bout to get real good)
Oh, you're fading so fast
I can hardly see ya when I look back, oh
Now I'm me without you
(And things are 'bout to get real good)
Hey, hey, watch this, things are 'bout to get real good
Head hung in shame, Draco tried to fight off the feeling of hopelessness that crept slowly upon him. Hermione was out there somewhere— fighting for her life— and where was he? Sat on the floor of a cold, dark room like some kind of common criminal. He wasn't sure how much time had passed but it felt like too long. He kept his eyes trained on the floor so the walls didn't creep in and thought of Hermione.
It caused him physical pain to see her hurt— there was nothing in the world he wouldn't give to see her smile again. Hell, just to see her not covered in her own blood would be fantastic right about now. Why hadn't anyone come to speak to him? What was going on?
Closing his eyes, Draco tried to calm his mind. They had to be ok. She was Hermione Granger, war heroine. She had survived so much more than this. As the trembling in his muscles subsided, Draco heard shouting in the corridor.
"What the hell do you mean you've got him restrained for questioning?" a voice echoed down the corridor. Draco lifted his head slightly and watched for movement outside the door as a muffled voice replied.
"I've got a warrant out for the person responsible!" the voice screamed in frustration. A small glimmer of hope flickered inside Draco's chest as the muffled voice seemed to shrink against the other man's shouting.
"He would never hurt her!" the voice roared as it drew closer, its distorted shadow creeping across the ceiling of Draco's room. "I am head of the Auror department and Draco Malfoy is no more a Death Eater than I am! Now, let me in that room or I swear to Merlin…"
The door swung open revealing a very red-faced Harry Potter. "Come on!" Harry snapped at Draco, promptly turning away from him and stalking down the corridor.
Struggling to stand with his hands restrained, Draco pushed himself up and followed Harry down the long white hallway, running to catch up to him. "Is she ok?" Draco questioned as he drew level with Harry. "Are they ok?"
"I don't know," Harry responded quickly, his hands reaching up to run through his hair. "I was just getting the story when they told me you were restrained."
"Umm, Mr Potter," a hesitant voice interrupted from behind them. "Mr Malfoy hasn't answered the ques—"
The remainder of the sentence was drowned out as Harry turned and bellowed, "I have released him from your hold! He did not hurt her! Now, stop questioning me and sort out the press in the lobby— I want them gone!"
Hovering behind Harry's shaking body, Draco watched, shocked. He had never seen Potter so angry. The poor Auror scurried away and Harry turned, storming ahead. Mentally shaking himself, Draco ran after him, unable to believe that Harry Potter of all people was sticking up for him.
"Thanks, Potter," Draco said quietly as they stopped outside Hermione's room. Now that he was here, Draco wasn't sure he could face going in. His heart pounded painfully against his ribs as Harry pushed open the door and stepped inside, not waiting to see if Draco followed.
Mustering his courage, Draco took a deep shaky breath as he crossed the threshold, his eyes immediately finding Hermione nestled safely in the hospital bed. Relief flooded him as he drank her in. The blood had been cleaned from her face and the nasty cut healed. Feeling his knees go weak, Draco stumbled to her bedside, coming to kneel beside her as his legs gave out.
"Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy. I am Healer Benedict," the Healer said as he dropped Hermione's notes into the holder at the foot of her bed. "Are you Mrs Granger-Weasley's next of kin?"
"I am," Harry replied instantly, turning to give the Healer his full attention as Draco stared at Hermione and her baby bump. "Well, one of them, the other is her husband but he won't be here."
"Are you happy for me to speak in front of Mr Malfoy?" Healer Benedict asked, glancing over at Draco as he remained kneeling on the floor.
"Yes," Harry replied firmly, nodding at Draco as he smiled weakly in thanks. "What happened? Are they ok?"
"Well," Healer Benedict began, "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but something attacked Mrs Granger-Weasley's magical core. The strength of the attack should have killed her and her babies. She must have fallen when the attack happened as she had a few broken ribs and a cracked cheekbone, but we've fixed those, no problem. Luckily, they all survived, but we will need to keep her in for observation over the next forty-eight hours. We can't risk it with her core being vulnerable."
"What could have attacked her?" Draco asked numbly, trying to flex his arms and failing. Glancing over at the Healer, Draco watched as Harry's face contorted with rage.
"I know," Harry said bitterly, causing Healer Benedict to stare at him in shock. Harry looked at Draco steadily before continuing, "Ron broke the marriage bonds."
"I'll kill him," Draco said icily, shooting to his feet as his bound hands trembled. The Weasel broke their marriage bonds— what a fucking imbecile. Did he not know? Did he not understand? To break their tie so suddenly, with no warning… no wonder the Healer was concerned. "What the fuck was he playing at? I'll fucking kill him!"
"Draco," Harry said, quickly moving to stand between Draco and the door, "I've got a warrant out for his arrest, which Ron will be expecting. He knows it's an arrestable offence to break the marriage bonds, hell any bond, without any kind of warning or proper preparation. Leave it to the Aurors."
"He nearly killed them, Potter," Draco growled in frustration. His muscles burning with the desire to pound that scumbag into the ground as the magic binding his wrists burnt his skin. Getting right in Harry's face, Draco spoke again, his anger pushing him to do something. "He nearly killed them, and I will make him pay."
"I know, Draco," Harry said soothingly, feeling as if he was going up against a wild animal. "I understand, I really do, but let the Aurors do their job. Ours is to be here when she wakes up." Turning his gaze away from Draco but still keeping him in his peripheral vision, Harry questioned the Healer. "When will she wake up?"
"If what you're saying is true, Mr Potter," Healer Benedict spoke somberly, looking between the two men standing before him. "She is extremely lucky to be alive. Not many people could withstand an attack of that magnitude to their magical core and survive." As Healer Benedict continued, he stared at Hermione, almost wistfully, "she will wake when she is ready, her body needs to recover." Turning back to face Harry and Draco, he added, "I will confer with my colleagues for the best course of action. Do you have any further questions?"
"The babies," Draco croaked, staring at the Healer intently as he walked away toward the door. "Are the babies ok?"
"Babies?" Harry questioned, his voice shooting up an octave. As Draco's face flashed with remorse, Harry felt his eyebrows draw together in confusion. Was Hermione having twins? When had that happened? Why hadn't she told him? Shaking his head, Harry realised he didn't care— the important thing was that they were healthy.
"Yes, Mr Malfoy," Healer Benedict replied softly, his hand resting on the doorknob. "The babies are perfectly healthy."
"Thank Merlin," Draco exhaled before turning back to Hermione as the Healer left them alone. "She's expecting twins. She was going to tell you, Potter. We were just— adjusting— to the news ourselves."
"Wow," Harry murmured looking from Hermione's still form to Draco's restrained one, the word twins stunning him momentarily. "Sorry, mate," he muttered, raising his wand to remove the binding spell on Draco's wrists.
"No problem, Potter," Draco answered wearily, rubbing his wrists as he perched on Hermione's bedside. "How did you know? About Weasel?"
"Ginny and I were at her parents for dinner when Ron and Lavender appeared," Harry answered, his voice full of disgust as Draco's jaw dropped. "He's knocked her up, no one even knew they were seeing each other. They came round to announce it, I don't think I've ever been more horrified. Anyway, Lavender said something about wanting to be married before she started to show and I asked how when Ron was still married. Ron made some flippant comment about it not being an issue then left pretty quickly. Not five minutes later I got the Patronus telling me to come here."
"Fuck," Draco mumbled shaking his head. "How could he be so stupid? There is a reason the Ministry deals with that shit!"
"I know, mate," Harry said calmly, looking over at Draco and noting he was covered in blood and sand with a dirty gash across his head. "Did no one deal with your injuries when you came in?"
"Ha," Draco snorted, holding one of Hermione's warm hands in his cold ones. "They were only interested in accusing me of hurting her. They saw a Death Eater and treated me as such."
Pursing his lips, Harry raised his wand, muttering a quick Tergeo to remove the dried blood and Episkey to sew the skin back together. "That's not a reason to leave you with an open wound."
Draco shrugged his shoulders and turned to Harry. "Thanks, Potter. What will happen to Weasley when the Auror's catch him?"
"We'll question him, see what he says, gather evidence, the normal stuff," Harry said, moving to flop into the chair beside Hermione. "If there is enough evidence, he could be locked up until the trial… I just can't believe he's done this. As an Auror, he knows what happens when someone breaks the bonds without proper precautions."
Silence fell between the two men as Harry moved forward, taking Hermione's other hand, each lost in their own thoughts until Harry spoke quietly. "Thank you."
Confused, Draco looked up, "For what?" he asked.
"Saving her," Harry responded, his gaze locked on Hermione. "Finding her, being there for her. If you hadn't… I don't… it's not worth thinking about it." After everything Harry had promised her he felt as if he'd failed. He should have seen this coming, protected her somehow.
"I would say my pleasure," Draco replied calmly, "but nothing about finding her was pleasurable."
"How did you find her?" Harry asked, his gaze locked on Draco as he shuddered. Harry didn't want to ask Draco to relive it so soon, knowing he would be asked multiple times in the coming hours. But the Healers had been annoyingly vague when they spoke to him, neglecting to mention any of the details regarding Hermione's accident.
"She was late," Draco spoke slowly, trying to ignore the image of her sprawled on the ground. "We've got this little routine, and she was late, so I headed over thinking she was just caught up in research or something after dinner with Daph. I should have realised something was wrong the second I walked in. It was quiet, too quiet."
Draco shuddered as he thought of her cold blue lips, unaware that Harry was now watching him avidly. "I found her at the bottom of the steps, near the pool— fuck, I forgot— she was in this, like, magical cage, it kept the water off her. She was pretty bloodied up, I reckon she fell down those stairs. I've never been so scared. She wasn't moving, didn't react until I lifted her. Those fucking wards, I couldn't have got help in if I'd wanted to."
"You really love her, don't you?" Harry questioned, looking at Draco in a whole new light. Harry knew the new Draco was nothing like the old one, but watching him now and how he stared at Hermione, Harry didn't know how he had missed it before.
Draco froze, he hadn't thought about the possibility of being in love with Hermione. Sure, he and Blaise had discussed Draco's growing feelings towards her, but they had never discussed love. Looking at her now, Draco wondered how that thought had never crossed his mind. He adored everything about her, worshipped her and fought for her. No one hurt his Hermione. But it was more than that, Draco realised. The highlight of his morning was getting to wake up next to her, his days dragged without her and he slept soundly with her body curled against his.
Draco loved the bird's nest that was her hair, the warm chocolate brown curls rebelling against anything Hermione tried. Draco adored the dimples in her cheeks as she smiled, usually with the accompanying flush of embarrassment at something Draco had said. He loved everything about her.
Fuck, Draco thought, he was in love with her. He was in love with Hermione Granger.
"I'll give you a minute," Harry said delicately, standing to leave the room. "I'm going to go talk to the Healers and check in with the Aurors."
Draco wasn't sure how much time passed, but as he sat staring at Hermione, the realisation that he was in love with her sunk in. How could he have not known? Everything in his life centered around the unconscious witch, and Draco would be damned if he let anything get in his way. He loved Hermione and nothing was going to change that.
"Hermione," Draco whispered sitting on the edge of her bed, clutching her hand to his heart. "I love you. I'm here for you, even if the babies aren't mine."
Harry came back two hours later to find Draco asleep next to Hermione, still holding on to her hand. "Draco," Harry whispered, causing Draco to wake with a start. "Sorry. Why don't you go home and get some rest? I can stay here."
"No," Draco replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I want to be here when she wakes up."
"The Healers reckon she might be out for a few days," Harry said, quickly adding, "Which is fine, her body needs the rest. Go grab a shower and some of her stuff and then come back here. I'll watch her while you're gone."
Whilst tempted by Harry's offer, Draco still couldn't will himself to leave Hermione's bed side. "Nah, I'm ok Potter." Turning his attention back to the sleeping witch, Draco missed the look of concern that flashed across Harry's face, after observing them for a moment Harry left again.
Harry returned a few hours later with Ginny. Draco hadn't moved from his spot next to Hermione and jumped as Ginny gripped his shoulder, the warmth of her touch bringing him back to the present. "How is she?" she asked quietly.
"Still asleep," Draco replied hoarsely. "Healers have been in every hour to check on her but nothing's changed."
"Did they say anything?" Harry questioned as he wrapped his arm around a now weeping Ginny.
"Not really," Draco answered, coughing to clear his dry throat. "They're going to move her up to Spell Damage for observation."
"You need to get some rest mate," Harry spoke calmly, looking at Draco's haggard complexion.
Draco shook his head, not taking his eyes off Hermione. "I want to be here when she wakes up."
"You will be," Ginny replied smoothly, her voice putting Draco at ease. "If they are planning to move her, they don't expect her to wake up yet. Go home, shower and have a rest, we'll be here. Then come back with her things, you know she'll hate to wake up in a hospital gown."
Draco groaned out loud, rubbing his free hand across his face. He knew he needed a shower, and a change of clothes sounded amazing right now. Draco shook his head and spoke, his voice rough, "I can't leave her. Not now, not ever."
Ginny gasped at Draco's words, her hand fluttering to her chest. "You're not leaving her Draco. You're just… popping out. We'll stay right here until you come back."
"Thanks, Ginny," Draco replied sincerely, looking at the pair of them gratefully. Sometimes it was still a shock to know they cared for him after everything he had put them through. "Maybe I will head back, just quickly."
"Go," Harry urged, sitting down on the hard chair next to Hermione's bed as Ginny made herself comfortable. "One of us will come get you if anything changes."
Draco hovered, wringing his hands as he looked between Harry and Hermione. "I don't know, Potter…"
"Draco," Ginny spoke firmly, knowing Draco as well as Harry had been up the whole night with her. "Go. Hermione needs you refreshed. If they move her we'll leave a message at the desk. If she wakes, one of us will come get you."
"Fine," Draco grumbled, returning to Hermione to place a quick kiss on her forehead before heading for the door. "You come get me if anything changes, anything. I'll only be thirty minutes."
"See you soon," Harry spoke calmly, smiling at his wife who was watching Draco in wonder as he swiftly left the room.
Ginny turned to Harry and spoke in an awed voice, "He is in love with her!"
"Yes," Harry replied smugly. "Yes, he is."