AN: To LUNA GURLZ and Goose, I thank you very much for reviewing. LUNA GURLZ, Lavender and Ron's relationship background will be revealed later, gradually, so stay tuned. To Goose, I really hope you gave my story a chance and managed to make it this far to see this comment to you, I know Draco starts as an "unrepentant, bigoted assclown" but I hope you've seen how his character is developing and will continue to develop away from his previous personality and attitude.

Read and review please!

Song suggestion: Titanium, David Guetta ft. Sia.

Chapter Seventeen: Wide Awake.

Only after Draco slammed through the dining hall doors did he realise he was in a completely unfamiliar environment and at a loss what to do. Rubbing a hand down his face, he wandered aimlessly, trying to guess at the blank, white doors he passed. His thoughts drifted to his parents, wondering what they would be doing. Would the Dark Lord torture them for his desertion? Kill them? He didn't know and hastily brushed the thoughts aside. They stopped being his concern when they abandoned him in a hypocritical regime.

Scowling at the plain walls, his thoughts were interrupted by screams. Loud, piercing, familiar screams. Without thinking, his wand was in his hand and Draco was sprinting to the hospital wing. All thoughts on the anguished witch.

Flinging the doors aside, he was at her bedside in a heartbeat, snatching potions left on her bedside. Uncorking the painless potion he poured as much as he dared into her mouth, so not to make her delirious on the medication, but relieved of a fraction of the pain penetrating his eardrums. Hermione spluttered before swallowing the liquid greedily.

Malfoy watched as her body relaxed into a slightly tense posture. He tucked his wand back in his pocket before glancing over Granger. She was trembling, her lungs hyperventilating, and her mutilated eyelids wept blood tinged tears. But he could still see her stubbornly set jaw and wild curls reminding him of her familiarity.

"Why-why can't I see? Who's there?" The panic set in as she realised she was blind. Her hands frantically searched for her wand. Draco watched her, the normally controlled witch, breaking down in defenceless vulnerability, "Tell me who's there? What's going on?" She sat up and screamed. Easing her back, he frowned. It unsettled him to see her so manic.

"Granger, calm down." He commanded.

"Malfoy!" She exclaimed before twitching her mouth like she was running quickly through a silent conversation, "Malfoy? You were there. We were at your house, mansion-"

"Manor." He corrected her automatically, "Malfoy manor, yes. What else do you remember?" He questioned. Did she know that he'd supported them? Unsure, he moved her wand further away from her on the bedside table. If she found it, Merlin knew what she could do to him.

"We were captured, the snatchers found us." She frowned, "They took us to your house because they thought we were who we pretended not to be." He rolled his eyes; of course if they were caught they'd be taken to Death Eater Head Quarters. The naivety of the Gryffindors astounded him; we are at war, for Salazar's sake! He thought, "Bellatrix tortured me-Malfoy, what's going on? I can't see and my legs feel like I've had them decapitated then reattached infected?"

"Where does your memory end?"

"I remember you leaving. Then…everything went dark and painful. Merlin, it hurt so much." More tears seeped down her cheeks, "Oh Godric." Sobs caused her chest to convulse and she brought up a hand to cover her mouth.

"Ssshhh…Granger, ssshhh…" He soothed her like a reflex. It was like Pansy crying, he didn't think, he just comforted the distressed witch. She tensed as he took her hand and stroked her hair out of her face.

"Sorry." She sniffled and worked on calming herself.

"Perfectly reasonable response." He said simply, "Is that all you remember?"

"I…I remember flashes. There was pain there too, so much pain." Instead of crying, she scrubbed eyes dry. Suddenly her hand stilled. The other quivering hand came up and, symmetrically to the other, touched her eyelids tentatively, "Oh Godric, what's happened to me?"

"What else do you remember Granger?" He dismissed her question, intrigued to what she could recall, "What else?"

"Nothing. I couldn't see anything. But I heard voices…yours. Your voice, then I would go black, but the pain was still there."

"Understandable." He nodded ascertain he was safe from the currently distressed witch.

"Now, tell me exactly what happened." Hermione demanded in an even tone. Her hands folded over her stomach, only after touching her lap and wailing briefly.

"Bellatrix tortured you." He explained bluntly, "Dark magic curses. You're blind. And probably half leaded."

"Excuse me?" Her brow furrowed.

"Run your finger down from your ribs, I need to know the damage." He instructed and she did. From the dip of her waist she began whimpering, before reaching her hips until she cried out in pain, "Stop. Luckily, we stopped the damage at your legs, so don't try anything stupid." She visibly bristled at the word and he smirked. Typical Granger.

"Who are we?"

"Pansy, Blaise, and myself."

"So you all defected?"

"Yes."

"Why?" He paused at her question. There were many reasons why he defected, why he stopped believing the utter none sense Voldemort spewed. The serpentine hypocrite. But the question seemed personal and all he could think of was her torture, her pained eyes, her vulnerability that drew him to her rescue. But he didn't want her to know that. Merlin, Blaise and Pansy didn't know that. They only knew he chose an opportune time to escape the oppressive regime. So he supplied a vague answer.

"I changed my mind." Deciding he no longer wanted to continue the conversation, he picked up her wand and pressed it into her hand, "Here, your wand."

"Thank you." She nodded, "How do I recover now?"

"Daily administration of potions to counter the curses and you'll have to learn to walk again." He paused to let her take it in. Granger sucked in a deep breath and held it as the news sunk in. It took three tries at speaking before she gave up and simply gestured for him to go on, "And your blindness will continue until…" He drifted off hesitantly. Sympathy creased his brow.

"Until…" She prompted and he looked pitifully at the bookworm.

"Until Bellatrix is dead and even then it will take time."

"Oh." Was all she said before tensing. He worried about her mental state, surely being told something so life changing equated a more severe reaction. But he had only counted to twenty two when she finally broke down. Hermione sobbed heavily into one hand while Draco held her other hand as she cried.