Draco quickly grabbed his books and rushed through the portal. He still had an hour before Astronomy was scheduled to start, so he'd have to find a way to kill some time. He desperately wanted to visit Hermione, but knew better than to risk Madam Pomfrey still being awake. Draco opted for a stroll down to the boat house. An eerie sense of deja vu hit him as he'd walked through the door. He'd met with Severus in the boat house on the first day of school every year, but this one. He could still hear the argument they'd had on Draco's first day of his first year.
"Draco. I know it is incredibly difficult to see her here, and not be able to be yourself around her. Trust me, my heart aches for you. Really it does. But you CANNOT breathe a single word to her that would make her think you are anything but the prejudiced pureblood your father thinks you are. If she develops feelings for you here, she will be in grave danger. She will become Lucius' first target. Do you understand that? If her views her as a distraction, he will seek her out and destroy, especially since she is a muggle born."
"You think I don't know that? I understand full well why I have to put on this act, but that doesn't make it any easier, Severus. I love her! And she loves me! Just a week ago, we were laying under the oak tree, planning our future. Now we are here, and she's alone, struggling to make friends. You know that was always a problem for her. She cried about it all the time. Its not her fault she is too smart for her own good. Why can't everyone else just see what an amazing girl she is? If she could make one friend, just one, this wouldn't be so hard for me."
"Give it time, Draco. Its only the first day. No one makes a ton of friends on their first day. The first years are too worried about getting lost to socialize. Trust me, Draco. She will find where she belongs, just as you will."
"My father has made sure of that, hasn't he? Did you know I didn't even have five minutes to myself before Pansy found me? She thinks just because our parents are friends that we are friends as well. She's seriously messed up. She tried to make out with me! Aside from the fact that we're only eleven, I would never want to lay my hands on that girl...EVER!"
"That is understandable, but you need to be careful you don't alienate any of the friends your father has approved of. That will only make him suspicious. I'm not saying you have to be physical with her, but please try your best to get along."
"Fine. Can I please go up to bed? Its been an exhausting day."
"Yes, of course. I'll see you bright and early in the morning. You've got Potions first thing."
Draco hopped onto the oars' storage box and allowed his feet to dangle over the dark water. The gentle rhythm of the waves was soothing. He stared into the depths, every once in a while, catching a glimpse of something shimmering just below the surface. There were untold number of mysterious creatures that called the black lake home, most of which Draco hoped he'd never have the pleasure to meet.
He does, however, have a soft spot for the fairydragon seahorses. They are ten times the size of a normal sea horse and had delicate silver wings that served as fins. Draco had saved a litter from a roaming grindylow in his third year, and they have been sort of like his pets ever since. They are peaceful creatures and have no natural self-defense mechanisms, therefore they live only in places that provide shelter, such as under the boat house. Draco made a mental note to come back and visit them during the day time as soon as possible.
Professor Sinistra had her eye pressed to a telescope in the far corner of the tower when Draco arrived. He highly disliked coming to this tower because it was there that Dumbledore had died. He could have opted out of Astronomy after fifth year, but he continued as it was the only class Hermione took without her two best friends.
"Good evening, Professor." Draco didn't want to startle her by being there when she turned around.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy. I understand it will be just the two of us this evening." Her voice was high-pitched, but not annoying like Pansy's. It was actually quite pleasant as it reminded him of a ringing bell.
"That is correct. Hermione was injured during Care of Magical Creatures this afternoon and must spend the night in the hospital wing." He hoped she didn't hear the longing in his voice.
"Well, I will expect you to share your notes with her, then." Even when she was being bossy, her voice was like a song.
"Of course, Professor." Draco smiled to himself, thinking of his plans to deliver the notes yet that night.
It felt like eight or nine hours rather than just two, when Professor Sinistra finally released him. She never had been one to waste a minute of class time. Everyone else in the castle was certainly asleep, but he felt the need to tiptoe through the corridors anyway. He reached the hospital wing in just under ten minutes. He tried the door. Locked, just as Snape had predicted. He whispered LUMOS and found the loose brick. The door swung open silently. Moonlight flooded the room, casting a romantic glow on Hermione's face.
He made his way to her bed, and cast a silencing charm around them, just in case she wasn't expecting company at one in the morning and let out a scream. Her leg was still propped up, but the black cloth had been removed. She had obviously had a hard time getting comfortable as her blankets were strewn about her in odd angles. Part of him wanted to spend the rest of the night staring at her, but a larger part needed to hear her voice.
He was about to place his hand on her shoulder when she began mumbling something. He leaned in closer. He couldn't make out everything, but he was sure he heard five distinct names... Hagrid, Ron, Harry, Quill and Draco. She'd said his name, sure she'd said it along with four other names, but she'd said it. She was mumbling again... "Draco. Draco saved me."
His heart leapt within him. This time there were no other names, just his. "She said it twice, and she said I saved her." His happiness was short lived as she began thrashing wildly about the bed. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, and spoke her name softly. "Hermione. Hermione wake up, you're having a nightmare."
Her eyes snapped open and darted fearfully around the room until they landed on his. Seeing him seemed to calm her down as she relaxed into the pillow, never breaking eye contact. "Draco?" Her voice was raspy and tired. "What time is it? What are you doing here?"
"Woah." He placed a finger to his lips indicating she should be quiet. "It is one in the morning, and I am here to deliver your Astronomy notes." Her eyes were incredulous. "And I wanted to check on you one more time." He was glad the lighting in the hospital was poor so she wouldn't she him blushing.
She used her arms to scoot herself into a sitting position. Draco was still hovering over her bed, which felt awkward and comforting at the same time. "Would you please sit?" She motioned to the foot of her bed, "you're creeping me out."
He couldn't help but chuckle. He hadn't thought about how uncomfortable is must feel to have someone standing over you in the middle of the night. "Sorry about that." He said as he carefully took a seat next to her injured ankle. "How are you feeling?"
"Honestly, I've been better." She dropped her gaze from his as she continued, "but I've also been worse, so all in all, I'm doing fine." The words hit him in the chest as if he was on the knight bus and it had just made a sudden stop. He knew all too well what the worse looked like. Her screams from that day in Malfoy Manor still haunted his nightmares. "Madam Pomfrey said I am incredible lucky you knew how to do a Heimlich maneuver. Care to tell me where you learned that, Mr. Pureblood?" Her sarcasm was unmistakable.
"Honestly, it was from some muggle TV program." That was halfway true. He had seen it on muggle television, but he'd really learned it from Severus during the summer between his third and fourth year.
"And why exactly have you been watching muggle TV programs?" She was determined to uncover his secrets.
"Actually, I've been living in London as a muggle since the war ended." That was the full truth.
He wasn't sure her eyes could get any bigger than when she reacted to that piece of information. "You? Living as a muggle? Nope. I don't believe it." She shook her head vehemently.
"Hermione." There was a tenderness to the way he said her name that made her go still and stare into his eyes. "Its true. After the war, I couldn't go anywhere without someone recognizing me, and hating me. If not because of the things I'd done, then certainly because of the things my father had. It was either leave the wizarding world or live a life of condemnation and ostracism. I left and never looked back."
"Oh, Draco... I had no idea." Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible. "Wasn't there anyone you could turn to?"
"I had my mother, and I begged her to come with me, but she refused. Said it would be too hard for her to relearn how to live without magic." He looked down as he could barely form the words to continue. "I've never told anyone this, but it was my leaving that pushed her over the edge of sanity, landing her in St. Mungos." He expected to see pity when he once again met her eyes, but instead he saw sympathy.
"Have you been to visit her?" Hermione's question was one he hadn't expected.
He's was momentarily taken aback by her genuine interest. "No, I haven't. I receive daily owls from the healers, but her condition hasn't changed since she arrived."
"I think you should visit her. Even if it doesn't help, at least you'll know that you made the effort." Her words were kind, but she couldn't possibly know what that would do to him. It took every ounce of his strength to walk away from the dark part of his life. If seeing him helped her, he wasn't sure he'd be able to walk away again. He was torn from his internal struggle as she added, "If you do go, I'd be willing to go with you."
She was constantly surprising him. "Why would you do that for me?"
"Because I know what it feels like to walk into a room, look my parents in the eye and have them not recognize me. If your mother is too far gone to know you, I want to be there for you." Silent tears had begun falling down her cheeks.
Draco bit hard on his inner lip as he fought with the Blake side of himself. After a moment, Blake won, and Draco reached out and wiped the tears from her face with his thumb. She didn't shy away from his touch, rather, she melted into it. His insides groaned with longing as she lifted her tear-stained eyes to his and placed her hand over his, trapping it against her damp cheek. "Oh shit, Draco. Get control of yourself. Do not have a repeat of this morning. Take things slow, remember."
"What are you doing Hermione? Your practically throwing yourself at Draco Malfoy! Stop. Stop! STOP! Oh, there is no stopping. His molten eyes are beckoning you. JUST LOOK AWAY! No. I want to get lost in them. What about this morning? Remember what it felt like after? Remember the guilt? Remember the look in his eyes when your reaction was to protect your relationship with Harry and Ron rather than explore what this could possibly be. Remember Potions when he was alone with you and didn't say a single word? How did that feel, huh? You're asking for trouble if you do this. STOP! I mean it." The practical side of her won out and she flicked her eyes to the flowers resting upon her nightstand, dropping her hand from his.
He quickly pulled his hand back to his lap. He sat silently for a moment before rising and stating, "I better get going."
"Damn, now he's leaving. See what you did, responsible me?" Hermione scolded herself.
"Draco, wait!" He turned back, a hopeful look on his face. "Before you go, I really could use some help getting to the bathroom."
His eyes flashed with excitement for a split second as he made his way back to her side. He tenderly lifted her from the bed and strode to the door directly opposite Madam Pomfrey's office. He gently kicked it open and placed her good foot softly on the floor. She recoiled as her bare foot touched the cold tile, inadvertently clutching onto Draco's shirt. She hastily dropped her hands to her sides and advised him, "I can take it from here. If you'll kindly wait outside the door, I'll alert you when I am finished." He loved how she spoke, in what he called, her professor's voice whenever she was embarrassed.
"Of course." He stated, pulling the door closed behind her.
Draco leaned against the wall, resting his head against the door frame, reminiscing about how good she felt in his arms. His daydream was cut short, however, when she pulled the door open. He stood himself completely upright, again grateful she could not see the blush rising to his face. He returned her to the bed. She spent several minutes trying to arrange the pillows and blankets in a comfortable manner before giving up and looking to Draco for assistance. He tugged on the sheets until they were completely off the bed and dangling from his hand.
"Get yourself comfortable." It was a command, but his voice rang with kindness. She shifted onto her left side, making sure to keep her injured ankle elevated. When she had stopped fidgeting, he swept the blankets over her and tucked them in around her body. He was leaning over her again, but this time it was not awkward. It was comforting. She turned her head to tell him thank you, but had misjudged how close he was, and her lips met his.
