I don't hate you. I'm just not necessarily excited about your existence. – Draco Malfoy
Astoria Greengrass smiled congenially as she floated through the corridors of St. Mungo's, but she was feeling less than sociable. She wasn't particularly fond of being forced to walk amongst the plebeians, but she suffered in silence. She accepted her plight with the grace of a Pureblood witch, just as she was instructed from the time she was a small girl.
She fervently hoped Draco would give up his desire to work for the Ministry of Magic upon their completion of the Betrothal Contract. Astoria didn't wish to imagine being married to one of the richest Pureblood wizards in Britain that chose to spend his days slaving away in a thankless job. It was laughable when it was completely unnecessary for him to do anything other than travel the world.
Astoria Greengrass had high hopes of living the lavish life she deserved. She had spent her years at Hogwarts covertly observing Draco Malfoy and knew he was the perfect wizard to give her the life she wished. He was easy on the eyes, which definitely didn't hurt matters. His arrogance Astoria knew she could work around, as most men were eager to please if she simply pouted and batted her eyes.
There was only one obstacle in her way, and that was Hermione Granger. Astoria had only properly met the poor excuse for a witch once, but she'd heard plenty. She'd seen the little mongrel splashed on the front pages of the Daily Prophet, cavorting with Purebloods as if she belonged. It was disgraceful really, but that wasn't Astoria's biggest issue with the pretty witch.
Hermione Granger gave Draco Malfoy ideas, and Astoria wouldn't stand for such nonsense. It wasn't Draco's place to think. It was his place to influence and spend money, but he had refused such notions. If it had been anyone else, it would have been disgraceful, but considering it was a Malfoy, Astoria was forced to smile in acceptance.
Hermione Granger was the reason Draco had delayed the signing of the Contract, at least that's what Astoria firmly believed. He had been completely apathetic, just as he should be, prior to receiving word the Granger bint was being transferred to his department. Everything had gone tits up from there, though Draco refused to admit it.
It was bad enough he was bloody friends with Ron Weasley, but to constantly spout ' Granger says ', was enough to drive any witch to her wit's end. Astoria could have tolerated the friendship, at least the Weasleys were Pureblood, even if they were poor. She simply did not have a speck of room in her life for Hermione Granger.
Astoria knew they had forged some sort of strange relationship, and it irked her. Draco was pushing her away, she could feel it. He had barely responded to an owl in the past year, and Astoria only saw him due to Narcissa's interventions.
When she had received the owl from Narcissa, Astoria had immediately ventured to St. Mungo's. Draco was injured while dealing with Muggles of all things. He needed her. He needed to know he was…well not loved, but cared for and supported. He needed to quit that bloody job, but that discussion could wait until he was recovered.
"You shouldn't be up and about."
Astoria paused in the corridor, her palms flat upon the door. She bristled and closed her dark eyes for a moment. It wouldn't do to enter Draco's room with her temper flaring. She could be absolutely charming when the mood struck, yet she hadn't expected the thorn in her side to be present.
"Neither should you, Granger, but I don't see you sitting in your bed." Draco coughed into his hands and rolled his eyes when Hermione smirked at him. He glared at her, yet dutifully returned to his hospital bed.
"I didn't inhale nearly as much smoke as you did. It's absolutely ridiculous that they're keeping us here." Hermione coughed quite violently, but then she closed her eyes and was immediately panicking.
There was something about the tight feeling in her chest that made her feel bizarre. She was completely off-kilter, and she couldn't find her bearing. Hermione's breaths were a staccato of pain as each inhale pierced her heart while her mind was lost in the past.
"Granger? Are you alright? Granger!" Draco leapt from his hospital bed with a hand to his chest.
He struggled, yet managed to reach Hermione before her knees buckled. Her lips were rapidly turning blue, but that wasn't what scared him. It was the absolute terror in her eyes.
"Can't." Hermione gasped while her fingernails dug into the pale skin of Draco's arms. "Tell her…I didn't take anything. Don't let her…not again. Please, Malfoy, please."
Astoria strode into the room, with a pleasant smile pasted on her plum lips, yet it quickly turned into a heated snarl. She was fairly certain her eyes were playing tricks on her. She was imagining the scene before her, as it certainly couldn't be reality. Her Draco would never be seated upon the filthy floor with a Mudblood fiercely clutched to his chest.
"Draco!" Astoria intended the words to be a question, but her ire got the best of her.
"Tori, thank gods." Draco looked relieved to see her, which eased Astoria's fury. "Fetch a Healer. Something's wrong with Granger."
Astoria's painted lips parted in shock laced with horror. She couldn't believe her ears. She was a Pureblood witch and she had never fetched anything in her life. She wasn't about to start now.
Her dark eyes narrowed considerably when Hermione Granger's fingers pulled on Draco's shirt. She gasped when he didn't struggle against the woman. She hissed when Draco stroked the woman's cheek almost lovingly. Astoria couldn't hear the words being spoken, she merely caught a few that didn't make a bit of sense to her.
"I didn't. I swear. Tell her. Not again. I can't. Care for me." It was those last words falling from Hermione's lips that caused Astoria to stamp her foot angrily.
"Draco, I demand an explanation!" Astoria shrieked, and was admittingly glad her mother wasn't present to reprimand her for raising her voice in mixed company.
"You're still here? Astoria, get a fucking Healer!" Draco Malfoy hadn't the patience to deal with the pampered Pureblood and didn't regret shouting at her in the least. He growled and was pleased to note Astoria fled the room.
"She's going to do it again. I can't take it again. Please, Draco, make her stop." Hermione whimpered and felt no safety in the circle of his arms. Her eyes were squeezed shut tight, and her breathing was laboured at best.
Draco gasped lightly and stared down at Hermione curiously. She never used his given name, at least not that he could recall. Unless of course, she was shouting at him, and then his entire name would make an appearance, but to hear her fractured voice speaking his given name did things to him.
"She's not here." He whispered though he hadn't the slightest idea what Hermione was going on about until she screamed.
His throat seemed to close, and his chest was inexplicably tight. There was a coldness that seeped into his bones, and he closed his eyes. It was a mistake to focus his energies as the moment his eyes were closed, Draco Malfoy was thrust into the midst of a nightmare.
It was difficult to make sense of the images burning into the back of his eyelids, but Draco discovered, he didn't want too. He didn't want to hear the familiar cackle of his aunt. He didn't want to feel the burning fire of the Cruciatus Curse striking him. He didn't want to see the red eyes glaring down at him in disappointment, and he definitely didn't wish to feel the cold arms pat his back in some semblance of a hug.
"Mr Malfoy? Ms Granger?"
Draco didn't recognise the voice, and he didn't want too. It couldn't save him. Nothing could save him from the horrors of his memories. He was vaguely aware of muted voices, and perhaps even a bit of scurrying, but he refused to release the witch in his arms. She was his anchor. She was the only thing that allowed him to cling to the bare vestiges of reality.
"We suspected, but there was no way to truly know." Theodore Nott entered the hospital room at the behest of a distraught Mediwitch and only shook his head. "Weasley is much the same. I don't think I was inside long enough for it to take."
"There are far too many Wrackspurts taking hold." The tall, leggy blonde shook her head, but there was something about her manner that caused the Mediwitches to remain silent. "Fuse the beds, would you Theo? It's obvious they're not going to allow us to pry them apart."
Theo flinched away from the dreamy voice, realising relatively quickly, the strange Healer with the silver radish earrings was none other than Luna Lovegood. He hadn't given the witch a thought in years, and yet he never imagined she'd wind up a Healer. As he fused the two hospital beds, he amused himself with strange anecdotes from their childhood.
"This is ridiculous. I absolutely forbid Draco to be put to bed with that Mudblood." Astoria Greengrass drew her wand and succinctly split the beds in two, without a second thought.
"Oh, was Draco married? I didn't think so, not quite yet. It would have been incredibly rude of him not to invite me." Luna sighed with the barest hint of a frown gracing her brows. "He didn't mention it at all, the last time we lunched. In fact, I distinctly remember him stating it would be a warm day in Voldemort's tomb before he married a witch of his parent's choosing. Hmm, this is all very disconcerting."
"I-I…he said WHAT?" Astoria lost all modicum of propriety and nearly leapt for the Healer with visions of physical violence in her eyes.
"Astoria." The singular word was spoken softly, yet it dripped with venom.
Theodore Nott gulped and turned to meet the startling blue eyes of Narcissa Malfoy. He offered the witch a polite nod and immediately stepped to the side. He had known the formidable witch his entire life, and Theo knew it was in his best interest to grace her with a wide berth.
"Mrs Malfoy, would you mind terribly if I was to treat Draco accordingly?" Luna smiled prettily, and it was a stark contrast to the tension between Narcissa and Astoria.
"Healer Lovegood, lovely to see you. Of course, do whatever is necessary for the betterment of my son. When you come for tea on Saturday, be sure to bring Ms Granger with you." Narcissa Malfoy's blue eyes never left the enraged Slytherin's, and it pleased her immensely to see Astoria deflate.
Healer Lovegood stepped around the irate brunette without a second glance and stood beside Theo. They gazed down at the trembling patients silently, while they attempted to ignore the tension thick in the air. Neither one was willing to actually touch them, but Luna couldn't allow them to suffer much longer.
"Narcissa, you can't possibly allow this." Astoria lowered her voice significantly, but she was incapable of wiping the sneer from her lips.
"Ms Greengrass, the day I take parenting advice from you is…well, it doesn't really matter now, does it? I would never take advice from a simpering child. Perhaps it would be best if you returned to your family home. I was remiss to contact you, but Lucius insisted. I see now I was correct in my assumptions. It was an error, and I shall not repeat it. I'm sure Draco will owl you when he is recovered." Narcissa Malfoy, in her regal puce robes, gestured toward the door.
Astoria glanced toward the bed longingly, but she swallowed hard and nodded. She detested the way Draco was wrapped around the Muggle-born. He had never touched her in such a way. He had never been tender, or gentle, or even kind. He'd barely tolerated her, but Astoria didn't like to dwell on such negativity.
She brushed past the Malfoy Matriarch without another word, but she had already formulated a plan. Astoria knew Lucius absolutely adored her, and using her feminine wiles to get her way had always worked in her favour. It wouldn't be the first time she had warmed the wizard's bed, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Astoria Greengrass was the sort of witch to do whatever was necessary to secure her future, and she had her sights set on Draco Lucius Malfoy.
Neville Longbottom had a devil of a time keeping Harry Potter contained. He wasn't quite sure why the Minister assigned him such a task, but he tried. He really tried, and short of drawing his wand on The Chosen One, Neville was running out of ideas.
"Just let me slip into her room. I just want to make sure she's alright." Harry struggled within his bonds and winced as the magical rope chafed his wrists.
"Luna's with them now, Harry. Did you know Luna's a Healer? Everyone always thought she'd go off with her dad to search for those creatures no one has ever seen, and she did for a bit, and decided she wished to be a Healer." Neville guarded the door wearily and filled the incessant whining with useless bits of information.
"I don't give a shit, Neville!" Harry's chair scraped across the worn tile, and under different circumstances, it would have been amusing.
"Luna's friends with Malfoy, did you know that, Harry? She takes tea with Narcissa every Saturday. I don't know how it started really, but I think she's part of the reason Malfoy is less of an arse. Even you have to admit that. I haven't heard him say the M word since we were children. He and Hermione work really well together. I suspect there's more than a little attraction there, which would explain all the underlying tension between them." Neville cringed upon realising he'd just said a tad too much.
Harry Potter shook the arms of his chair, but all he managed to accomplish was falling to the side, and crashing his cheek to the ground. He groaned and watched through squinted eyes as his shattered spectacles slid beneath Ron's bed. Harry's cheeks were pink with anger and exertion, but it didn't matter, he was still bound.
"Fucking spiders!" Ron Weasley screamed the words until he was hoarse. His voice was raspy, but it didn't stop his lips from moving in fright.
"You'd think Ron's nightmares would feature more than spiders." Neville shook his head and quickly set Harry upright. "You've got to let her go, Harry. Enough is enough. You married Lavender. You haven't a right to her anymore."
"She's my best friend! She's important to me! I'll always have a …right…to…her." Harry Potter finally allowed the anger to dissipate and even managed a frown directed toward himself more than anything.
"Yeah, it doesn't sound right when you say it either. It's not a matter of ownership and rights anyway. We're friends, and that's that." Neville peeked into the corridor, hoping the Healers would rescue him soon.
"I'M NOT FUCKING KISSING THE FUCKING SPIDER!" Ron Weasley howled in distress, but it was just the hilarity that Harry and Neville required to dissolve into subdued snickers rather than resorting to harsh words.
Ron Weasley moaned and his sheets were damp with sweat. He had visions of the monstrous Aragog forcing him to dance with his little spider children. It didn't matter how much he writhed in their sticky webs, he was a prisoner. Ron would rather face Voldemort than entertain hairy eight-legged beasts.
He was fairly certain it was a nightmare, but Ron couldn't force himself to wake. His logic declared Aragog long dead, but in Ron's memories, the fiend was alive and well, speaking to him in achingly low rasps. Ron was a puppet, forced to do whatever he was bid, and he wondered if the deceased spider had perfected the Imperious Curse in the afterlife.
The bitter brew forced between his lips caused Ron to sputter. He struggled against the furry appendages that held him in their clutches. His chest felt as though it was still smouldering as the raging fire in the Muggle building licked at his skin. As the Potion worked its way through his system, Ron Weasley recalled certain facts that had been blurred by the Fear-Inducing Hex, and while the terror slowed, his lips remained parted in silent scream until it bubbled to the surface in a robust burst.
"IT WAS A WIZARD!" Ronald Weasley sprung upwards, and if it hadn't been for Healer Lovegood, he probably would have catapulted from the bed.
"We know, Weasley." Theo Nott was quick to calm the distraught ginger and tapped his chin with another Potion phial. It was in everyone's best interests if Ron fell into a dreamless slumber.
"Will he be alright?" Harry Potter swallowed hard and forced the words from between his clenched teeth.
"Right as pumpkin juice, Harry. Draco and Hermione are close to waking. If you wished to know as to their condition, you could have just asked." Healer Lovegood smiled brightly and covered the loudly snoring patient with an obnoxious flowered sheet.
"Oh please, Malfoy's nearly normal at this point. I checked in on them before making my way here, and he was licking the back of her neck. I don't know what's wrong with him, but I heard mention of Veela tendencies and fucked right off." Theodore Nott rolled his amber eyes skyward with an exaggerated groan. "Sorry, Potter."
Theo didn't sound the least bit sorry, but Harry didn't rise to the bait. He closed his soft green eyes and exhaled loudly. Harry was used to barbs from the Slytherins, but there wasn't malice in Theo's words. Harry realised he was being particularly difficult and absolutely ridiculous.
He had a wife. He wasn't particularly happy in his marriage, but that wasn't anyone's fault but his own. Harry had drowned his sorrows in vats of firewhiskey and wound up casually shagging Lavender Brown. It was a colossal error in judgement, but it was too late.
Harry had always wanted a family, and Lavender had known that. Hell, everyone had known that, which made it that much easier to trap him. He didn't even question the verbal results of the pregnancy test and had immediately suggested they marry. Harry now knew he had been hoodwinked, but he still desperately wanted a family, and Lavender seemed just as disappointed as he when her monthly arrived on schedule, as always.
Harry knew it was difficult to receive a Dissolution Hearing before the Wizengamot, and he didn't have a basis for ending his marriage. It's not as though he could prove Lavender had lied about being with child. Therefore, he suffered, and silently pined after a woman that had never seen him as anything more than a brother.
"You don't really love her." Theo Nott offered casually as he kept a wary eye on the mumbling Ron.
"What?" Harry scratched his head and offered Neville a small smile of thanks for his freedom.
"You love what she embodies. You love her passion and her fire. You admire her intelligence. She's got a lovely arse and all, but you don't love her. If you truly loved her, you'd want her to be happy, even if it wasn't with you." Theo's eyes darkened, which was a fantastic feat with brown eyes as dark as his, and Harry knew there was a story there.
"Who was she?" Harry asked.
"Doesn't matter now, does it? Suffice it to say, she couldn't bear the thought of marrying a Ministry worker rather than one of the Pureblood Elite. She thought it was beneath me, but I enjoy my job. She wanted her picture-perfect life more than she wanted me." Theo wiped his hands down his face in anger, not in sadness. "I could have enforced the Betrothal Agreement. I could have been a right bastard and forced her hand. I considered it, but then she told me she'd fallen in love…with someone else. I hated her as much as I loved her, but I released her. I still have moments where I'm bitter as fuck, but she's happy, Potter. It wasn't conditional love. I didn't want her to be happy only if she chose me. Love isn't quite that selfish. Think about it." Theo stalked from Ron's bedside and vacated the hospital room with a quick murmur to Neville.
"I'll sit with Ron." Harry Potter hung his head with shame, and Neville Longbottom was simply relieved to be free of obligation.
Hermione Granger was hot. She was nearly stiflingly hot, but it seemed she was also trapped. Her limbs were tight, her muscles ached, yet it was a heavy presence that kept her immobile. She nearly panicked, but the sensation of something warm and wet between her shoulder blades was strangely soothing.
She was vaguely aware of a tightness in her chest and was remiss to take a full breath. Instead, she flexed her fingers and sighed as a muscular arm tightened around her waist. Hermione's eyelids fluttered due to the surprisingly cool lips and hard teeth that nibbled along her throat.
"I implore you not to wake him, Ms Granger." Narcissa Malfoy's cool voice stifled the shriek lodged in Hermione's throat. "Healer Lovegood will extricate you if you can be patient for a few more moments."
Hermione didn't reply. She didn't nod. She barely breathed. It was then she realised the hard surface behind her, was none other than Draco Malfoy. Her panicked eyes flew open the very second she discerned it was his arm, his lips, his teeth against her flesh.
"I-I." Hermione drew a ragged breath, but the snarling rumble emanating from Draco's chest ceased any further words.
"Ohh, he growled, isn't that sweet?" Luna Lovegood smiled brightly and completely ignored the sheer terror splashed across Hermione's features.
"Lucius will not be pleased." Narcissa might have pursed her lips, but there was a twinkle in her blue eyes.
Hermione remained silent while Luna effectively manipulated the slumbering Malfoy heir with practised hands. Her feet hit the tile and she flinched at their frigid temperatures. Her legs were wobbly, but she managed to stand from sheer determination.
"Explain. Now." Hermione didn't waste time mincing words despite her precarious health.
While she swayed lightly on her feet, her right hand unconsciously rubbed at the sore spot just beneath the base of her skull. Hermione's eyes were barely more than slits as she watched Narcissa and Luna exchange a glance she was unable to read. Her eyes wandered toward Draco, but he remained still and asleep, though his brows were drawn together tightly.
"You really shouldn't be up and about, Ms Granger." Narcissa Malfoy's voice was calm, but Hermione kept her eyes trained on the older witches wringing hands.
"Why was I in bed with Malfoy?" Hermione continued to rub the sore spot on her neck, shivering as a tingle ran down her spine.
"You were both completely out of sorts due to the Fear-Inducement Hex and it was easier to treat you together, rather than wrench you apart and worsen the situation."
Hermione nodded her head slowly and accepted Narcissa's assessment as truth. She stood stock still and allowed Luna to give her a once over. She gasped lightly when Luna's forefinger grazed the reddened flesh of her neck.
"He bit her." Luna manoeuvred around Hermione's headful of golden brown tangles to speak to Narcissa.
"He bit who? Did Malfoy bite me?!" Hermione was nearly shrieking, and yet she was completely ignored.
"Lucius really isn't going to be pleased." The Malfoy Matriarch wasn't the least bit bothered by Hermione's flinch as she bent to inspect the damage. "It looks exactly like ours."
"Ours? Yours? Whose? I don't understand." Hermione's voice had reached the frequency that often made Harry and Ron cringe.
Draco Malfoy shifted in his sleep. He rolled toward the vacated pillow and buried his nose in the delectable scent left behind. The sheets were still warm to the touch, and while his dreams had been littered with the sort of witch that left his slacks considerably tighter, Draco was disgruntled.
He was absolutely certain the soft curves had been real. He had felt the gentle curve of her hip against his thighs. He had stroked the smooth flesh of her abdomen. He had inhaled against her throat and tasted her skin. He had tasted the sunshine with lingering notes of honey and citrus, with an underlying scent he couldn't identify.
"He's waking." Luna Lovegood grasped Hermione by the elbow and led her to the door. "Let's just get you all nice and settled elsewhere. I'm sure you have an endless supply of questions, which I'll be happy to answer at tea on Saturday."
Hermione nodded dumbly and allowed herself to be pulled into the bustling corridor. The Mediwitches hovering near the door smirked at her and immediately settled into catty whispers. She smoothed her tangled hair, but it didn't do a bit of good, it never did. Hermione blinked in confusion and then she was thrust into yet another hospital room.
"Luna-"
"Like I said Hermione, tea on Saturday. We've been invited and I'm sure Cissa will invite you properly once you've recovered. I'm positive Theo wishes to debrief you as soon as possible, therefore I've packaged your Potions and implicit instructions. He'll be along shortly to escort you home." Luna kissed Hermione's cheek and left her to stand in the middle of an empty hospital room.
"Tea…with Narcissa Malfoy and Luna Lovegood." Hermione gnawed the right corner of her bottom lip, thoroughly confused.
The very last thing she remembered was shaky knees crumpling and Malfoy catching her. Hermione was angry, frustrated, and exhausted, despite her obvious rest. The back of her neck tingled and the intensity strengthened the more she ignored it. Therefore, when Theodore Nott entered her room, Hermione Granger stood at the window, her forehead pressed against the glass and her fingertips pressing against the thin, red line.
"Ah Granger, there you are. Come along then. I'm to escort you home. Healer's orders, and all that." Theo crossed his arms and casually leaned against the doorjamb.
"What about Ron? Is he-" Hermione didn't turn, and she barely spoke above a whisper, yet Theo could feel the anxiety in her.
"He's snoring loudly and finally stopped shrieking about dancing spiders." Theo chuckled and patiently waited for her to make sense of everything.
"I'm assuming Harry is fine." She scoffed then, and Theo exhaled the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.
"Don't get me started on Potter, Granger. Come on then, I haven't all day. I do have a report to file, and I would hate my tardiness to be due to Hermione Granger's unwillingness to vacate St. Mungo's."
"What was it?" Hermione finally turned and felt cold in her hospital issue robes.
"Fear-Inducement Hex. Haven't seen the likes of one that strong in years and I-" Theo shrugged, unconcerned.
"Oh, my gods." Hermione's eyes widened and her hands flew to cover her parted lips. "It was a wizard, well, or a witch, but it was someone we know. I mean, well someone Harry, Ron, and I know. I can't…I mean why would…I don't understand. I need to do some research. This is all my fault."
"Your fault?" Suddenly Theo was terribly interested in Hermione's rambling.
Hermione took a small step forward and shook her head lightly. She swallowed hard but was quick to put on the brave front that defined her. Her chin jutted forward and while her eyes shined, the tears did not fall.
"It was a difficult time, Nott. It was War and we were only children, but we were expected to do so very much. I was angry. I'm sure you heard all about Ron deserting us in the Forest of Dean, it's common knowledge at this point." Hermione's gaze wavered, but she refused to yield to the whirlwind of emotions coursing through her. "Harry and I tried to keep things light-hearted, but it got dark there for a bit. We had to share the horcrux between just us two, so we were wearing it for longer periods-"
"While this is all absolutely fascinating Granger, get to the point where this is your fault." Theo's fingers flexed against his forearms, yet the hot feeling in his chest never did bode well.
"I created it. I created the Fear-Inducement Hex." Hermione took a slow shuddered breath and studied Theo's brown leather loafers before locking onto his dark eyes. "I didn't just create it. I taught other members of the D.A. how to cast it. It wasn't difficult, ridiculously easy really, so you see Nott, it's my fault."