Hermione sighed deeply as she shifted the covers over her for the hundredth time that night. She had woken from a nightmare several hours ago and was dealing with her usual struggle of getting back to sleep. Her mind was in a constant overdrive these days. She worked out plan after plan in her head, over and over until it burned like a road map in her brain.
She felt the pressure on her chest. The pressure to help her friends in their dangerous mission. The pressure to keep everyone she knew safe and protected… and the pressure to do what was best for her parent. She knew it wasn't going to be long before she had to do it…. And that scared her.
She huffed again, stirring from her thoughts and threw the covers off of her legs. She sat up and edged her way to the side of her bed, arching her back and clicking her stiff muscles. The cold wind whipped her hair around her neck as it blew in from the open window that she faced. The cold didn't bother her much… she was rather numb to it nowadays. She looked down at the clock on her side table and frowned as the numbers read 1:50am. So much for sleep, she thought sourly.
As she was about to stand, a noise from outside her window caused her to jump slightly. It was a somewhat quiet popping sound that was all too familiar, and it was followed by a groan. Her heart began to race as she rushed across her room to grab her wand, clutching it tightly. She edged her way over to her open window and peered out. She strained her eyes in the dark of the night, only just making out a slumped heap on the floor in front of her door.
What surprised her most about this was that it was over the line of her protective wards, and this was what made her breath catch in her throat.
Without a second thought, she held her wand out in front of her and ran to swing her door open. Descending down the stairs at a hurried pace, she cautiously approached the front door. Her mind raced. Who was it? What did they want? What if they had found her or if this was a trap?
With her wand at the ready, she eased the door open little by little, and gasped out loud at the sight before her. A pale male face was distorted with a pained expression, eyes closed slightly. His body was soaked in thick red blood, seeping into his white-blond hair. He was led on her doorstep, clutching at his body while wrapped in a thick black cloak that was also caked in the blood that was forming a puddle on the floor in front of her.
At the sound of her gasp, a pair of grey eyes flashed over, locking with hers. She saw his lips move but only a strangled gurgle came out. He seemed to squeeze his eyes shut again for a second before whispering a barley audible plead.
"Please…"
He opened his eyes again, only to have them roll back into his head as he slumped limp on the floor, unconscious.
Draco Malfoy was unconscious on her doorstep, covered in blood.
Her mind, if possible, went even further into overdrive as nothing but fear and confusion set in. She stared at his body in horror, her mouth forming a small 'o' shape, for what felt like a lifetime before she blinked again.
He was a death eater. He was a bully. Her enemy. A dark wizard whom worked under the reign of Voldemort… and yet he was here… in pain and begging her for help. Her mind span. Could this be a trap? How did her know where she was? How did he apparate within her wards?
Her brows furrowed. He looked pretty weak. He couldn't be that much of a risk to her like this, could he? If she wanted answers, she was going to have to get him inside and help him out. The very thought made her cringe slightly.
She looked around briefly to make sure they weren't being watched before lowering her wand to point it at the body of the man in front of her. One thing was for sure, she thought, if she didn't help him out now, he would probably die… and her Gryffindor instincts wouldn't let that happen.
Very carefully, she levitated him up into the air, watching as his limbs fell to reveal a torn shirt that was once white, and now stained red. She cleared the blood on her door step silently and sent the floating body inside, and up the stair to her room.
Once they were in the room, she switched on the lights, and lowered him to her bed. With a cautious side eye, she ran to the window and began to mutter a series of ward spell to make sure everything was working correctly. Once satisfied, she moved over to her bed and stared down at Draco.
She winced slightly at the sight before her. He had been hurt… badly.
She used her wand to vanish his shirt and cloak, and grimaced as she saw the full extent of his damaged torso. He had long deep cuts littering his chest in rows of four. His entire left side was shredded and his neck gushed with blood from a particularly deep gash.
She immediately set to work, muttering spells under her breath and running the tip of her wand over each injury in deep concentration. She frowned as she found that they only partially healed, the bleeding mostly stopping, but angry, sore lines coated his body.
"Accio first aid bag" she muttered, catching it as it flew towards her. She began to over each cut in bandages and pads. Once his front was done, she rolled him over, with some difficulty, and stared at the damage on his back. He had a huge slash over his left shoulder blade and down to his hips that was sure to leave a nasty scar. Although, she thought to herself, all of these cuts would probably scar.
What made her frown when she looked him over, however, was the crescent shaped bite mark on his shoulder blade. This wasn't bleeding. In fact, it looked clean and less sore that the others, standing out from the other mess of cuts that covered him vastly. She ran her wand along it and frowned as it refused to heal at her magical touch.
She had never seen a bite like this before, and it made her itch to research more about it. She focused on her job at hand first though, cleaning and healing his back just like his front. When she was satisfied he was healed there, she quickly checked over his legs and head, noting only bruising and a few small scratches. The purple bruises that covered his body in patches looked odd and harsh on his pale complexion.
She stood back after turning him onto his back again and searched his person for his wand, before remembering she had seen it on the grass out the front. She used Accio to get it through her open window before closing it shut. She didn't want him to get too cold, considering he was half naked.
Oh god, Malfoy is half naked in my room, she suddenly thought, and found herself blushing slightly at the uncomfortable situation she was in.
Draco was still unconscious, his face resting in a peaceful state that didn't quite match the rest of his body. Hermione hesitated whilst stood next to him, unsure of what to do next. She supposed she'd have to wait for him to wake now. She certainly wouldn't be sleeping anymore tonight, and letting her guard down.
She decided she would investigate the bite on his back, as it may answer one of two of her itching questions for the man.
She reached out to open her book trunk and stuck her wand inside. "Accio fantastic beasts and where to find them. Accio bites, a healers guide. Accio Magical beasts and their traits."
Three books flew up from the inside of her magically enlarged trunk and she caught them with ease. She glanced at the sleeping man once more before settling down onto the floor with her legs crossed and beginning to read with intense interest.
She spent the next two hours reading on about all the magical beasts she could find.
Doxy bites are much like that of a rodent bite. Victims may experience dizziness and a mild headache. The bites are small and round, the size of a gallon and often-
"Nope." She muttered to herself.
Dragons have a ferocious and aggressive nature, and do not interact well with humans. They tolerate little interaction and will attack with fury and unweilding determination. It is usual for a Dragon's victim to not survive such a brutal attack.
"Too small…" she frowned, reading on.
She read on until she came across a chapter that intrigued her because the drawing in the book resembled greatly that of the bite on Draco's back.
Werewolf bites are one of the most painful experience there is said to be. They are quick to heal and almost perfect in shape, should the biter in question have the will power to stop at just a bite. The venom that invades the body of the victim modifies the entire entity of the person, pushing forward a new personality into the body. That of the wolf. For most victims, should they be so unfortunate, they will be bitten at full moon when almost all werewolves find a lack of control of the wolves within them and the urge to hunt undoes them as a person of the night of the moon. This is also known as the awakening of the wolf, which usually lies dormant outside of the full moon. Should this be the case, they too will suffer the curse and will transform each full moon into the being of their own wolf as their body combines with another.
In extremely rare cases, a person may be bitten outside of a full moon. This-
A groan of pain stirred Hermione from her reading and her eyes snapped up from her page to the bed in front of her. She grabbed her wand and held it tightly as she climbed clumsily to her feet. Draco's face as strained with pain as it came into her view and she gulped slightly as she moved closer. Another moan of pain hissed from his lips as he balled his fists up.
In the next second, by the light of the moon, a soft growl escaped and his eyes flashed open. A stunningly vibrant silver stare met her own hazel eyes and a breath caught in her throat as she held his gaze.
Another chapter up. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I also hope that everyone is staying safe during this coronavirus. Big hugs to anyone that is feeling a bit down about life at the moment. I am here if anyone needs someone to talk to.
Love Amy x