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Chapter 12: Damage:
It seemed to Draco that Hermione was taking a long time to talk to him. He assumed she was afraid to tell him something. That bastard must have hurt her. He must have done something to her, and that's why she was afraid of talking to him. Draco stood back up, walked over to the bench, and sat down next to her. He took her hand. His thumb stroked the top of her hand, and that seemed to give her the courage to speak.
"When Kevin, I meant to say Bruno, came to the cabin that first time, and he asked you to wait outside, he apologized to me for everything that happened. He said he never meant for me to get hurt, he said he was the one that brought me to your house the night I was injured. He told me that he no longer wanted me involved, because he was beginning to have feelings for me, and he was worried for my safety." She looked over to Draco. He knew she wanted to see if she should continue, but he was frowning. However, he was still holding her hand. He gave her hand a little squeeze, to signify that she should go on with her tale.
"After Harry left with you, Bruno came for me, no more than ten minutes later. He told me he was taking me home. I reached for his hand, but instead of going to my home, we went somewhere different. I didn't even know where we were. I was scared, and I pleaded with him to tell me what was going on, but he acted so hateful toward me. He said that he wouldn't let you near me again. He said that you would ruin me." All of the sudden she took her hand from his and she grasped her two hands together tightly. Draco clenched his jaw. "Draco, I was such a fool in the beginning. I was such a fool to believe him. All of this is my fault. I shouldn't have met with him in the first place. And when I found out who he really was, I should have told you or Harry. I am so sorry." She bent her head and started to cry.
He moved over to her swiftly, and as if she weighed no more than a feather, he pulled her onto his lap. He kissed her cheek, and kept his arms tightly around her. She continued, "While I was staying with you, recovering, I received an owl on the fourth day there. Your house elf brought it to me. It was from him. He explained everything to me in the note; that his real name was Bruno Martini, that he worked for the Ministry, and that he was sorry I got hurt. He asked me to open the floo connection at your flat, because he wanted to explain more to me, but he wanted to do it in person. My curiosity got the best of me, so I opened your floo connection. I had no reason to think he would harm us. You and I ended up leaving the next day, so we left before I could meet with him again. Now I realize that he probably wanted the floo connection open to get to you."
Well, that explained two things to Draco. One, the reason his floo connection was opened, and two, the reason Granger didn't seem upset or even surprised when Draco told her who Kevin really was that first day at the cabin. She apparently already knew who he was. Draco didn't say any of this to her; He merely remained silent, so she could continue. She put her face in the crook of his neck and cried some more, and he rubbed his fingers lightly up and down her arm.
"When he came to get me after you and Harry left, he didn't take me to my house, as I already told you," she explained, "He took me back to that same warehouse, the one that he was supposed to meet me at the night I was attacked. That's when he told me he was no longer on the case, because there was another undercover agent whom discovered that Bruno's brother was the leader of the Mud Ones. He told me that his brother thought his alliance was to the Mud Ones, but he swore to me it was with the Ministry. I now know that was a lie, but he said that his brother would continue to threaten me and continue to hunt me down, with the intent to kill, unless he could hand you over to them." She stood up from his lap, and went over to peer out the French doors that led to the outside.
"I pleaded with him. I told him that I had fallen in love with you, and that I didn't want any harm to come to you. I told him we should go to the Ministry, and tell them everything." She continued to ring her hands together as she said this. She stopped and turned to look at him, and he stood up to join her. All he was aware of was that she had just proclaimed her love for him. Well, she didn't say, 'Draco, I love you', but she did say that she told Martini as much. She turned back toward the door and he looked at her reflection in the glass, and he could see a tear falling down her cheek. He reached up to her face, and he wiped it off with his finger.
She turned, fell into his arms, and he held her tight. She was still crying. Draco knew what she had to say next wouldn't be easy for her. He braced himself for the onslaught.
"He became so angry when I told him that I loved you. He told me that I couldn't possibly love you. You were a pureblooded Death Eater, and that you hated me, and everyone like me. He said that I should love him, because he loved me, and he was a Muggle-born. He said it was my choice, either love him and turn you over, or he would turn me over to the Mud Ones, and that they would get to you anyway. I told him that I chose you, and if he had to give me to them, that I didn't care, as long as you were safe. He hit me with a curse and turned me over to his brother. When I woke up at the warehouse, I heard the two brothers talking. They said they would have to pretend that Bruno was captured also, so he could continue to work for the Ministry. Bruno told his brother he still didn't want me killed, and his brother laughed and said I could be his reward."
Suddenly, she pushed away from him, and for some reason, unknown at that time to Draco, she fell down on her knees in the middle of the sun porch, and she screamed a scream that sounded like it was ripped from the depths of her soul.
She shook with uncontrollable sobs. He was shocked. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what caused this sudden outburst. He walked up to her, touched her shoulder, and she screamed, "Don't touch me!"
He took several steps back and sat back down on the bench. He truly was at a loss. He sat and watched her cry for many minutes. Finally, her great heaving sobs stopped, but she remained on the floor. Then, she felt composed enough to finish her story.
"He came to me at the warehouse, to try to convince me one last time to help them capture you. I told him no. He told me that the night of my attack; he had told his brother and the other Mud Ones that you would be with me. He was convinced that once you saw the note, and realized I was in danger, that you would have gone with me, to protect me. He said the fact that you didn't come with me should have been proof to me that you are a coward and not worthy of my love. He said after I arrived at the warehouse alone, he didn't know what to do. He knew his brother would be angry."
"He said when they arrived and saw you weren't there, they stunned him and went off with me. When they returned me, they told him to finish me off and then go find you and bring you to them. Then he said his brother told him that he shouldn't cry over me, because I was worse than a pureblood, because I was a traitor to my own kind. Bruno then said that his brother told him that i was spoiled goods, and that he had raped me, and that no pureblood would want me now. He told Bruno to be sure to tell you that. He told me he never wanted that to happen to me, so in his remorse, he left me on your doorstep, because he couldn't kill me after that. He thought once you knew what had happened to me, you wouldn't want me anymore." She started sobbing again.
The weight of her words came down on him like a ton of bricks. Why didn't he go with her that night? The guilt he was feeling overwhelmed him, and that night he called the healer in, he asked him what they had done to her. The healer asked Draco if he really wanted to know. He told the man no. This was the reason he told him no. That mother-fucking bastard raped the woman he loved, even if he didn't love her at the time, she was the woman he loved now. Why didn't she tell him all of this before? It wouldn't have made a difference, he was sure of that. He got up and he slammed his fist at the French doors. He shattered one of the windowpanes and lacerated his hand. He kicked over a chair and threw a plant halfway across the room. Hermione stayed huddled on the floor, with her head covered by her hands, to protect her from the flying debris. She rocked back and forth, saying, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."
He reached down and picked her up. She looked frightened. Did she seriously think he blamed her? Did she think his anger was directed toward her? He pulled her into a tight embrace, and said, in hushed tones, "If that bastard Martini wasn't already dead, I would kill him myself. It's his fault; it's entirely his fault. He drew you into his web of lies, and he's the reason the Mud Ones hurt you. It's Bruno's fault, Hermione, not yours."
Hermione understood that Draco's wrath wasn't aimed toward her. He held her for an insurmountable amount of time. Finally, she pulled away from him, and took him by the hand to the kitchen, were she proceeded to clean and heal his lacerated fist. Finally, she spoke again. "Draco, why did you say it was a good thing Martini was dead? Bruno isn't dead. Harry told me this morning they're looking for him everywhere. He escaped that night."
Draco shook his head no, before any words even came out. "No, remember, when Potter brought you up to that little office at the warehouse, during the fight, he told us Martini was dead," he explained to her. Did she forget that?
Now she was shaking her head. "Bruno Martini isn't dead. Harry meant his brother, Robert. He was killed by one of the Aurors. Harry and the rest of the Ministry are afraid that Bruno will now take over for his brother, and they feel he's a bigger danger, because of his ties to the Ministry, and because of his feelings for me, and his hatred of you," she said.
Draco felt sick. He wanted to kill someone. Not someone. He wanted to kill a specific someone, but anyone at that moment would do. He looked down at Hermione and said, "Please know that I love you, but this is too much for me. I have to leave. I'll be back. Please, know that I'll be back." As he apparated away, he could hear Hermione calling his name.
(Coming up in chapter 13, Draco returns to Hermione and decides he should take her somewhere else.)