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There came a knock at Hermione's office door. She looked up from the file she was examining, expecting to see some intern, lost. Instead she saw her timid secratary, Jane. Hermione smiled.
"What is it Jane?"
"There's a man out here. He says he needs to see you." Hermione shook her head.
"Well, tell him that I don't see people without appointments in the morning." Jane nodded and disappeared. A few seconds later she came back, pale.
"He insists on seeing you, Hermione." Hermione frowned and stood up. Walking over to the frightened secratary she leaned out of the office. She spotted him, though it wasn't that hard. The light shone off of his hair.
"Draco Malfoy, what are you doing here?" The man turned around. Hermione was shocked at what she saw. There was sweat all over his face and he was very pale, tinged with green. He wasn't smiling.
"I needed to see you." He started to walk, but his legs seemed to give out slightly and he grabbed onto the secratary desk. Ignoring the warning bells that had been set off at the sight of him, she ran over, helping him stand.
"Jane, help me." They led him into her office and helped him into a seat. Malfoy waved Jane off, ignoring her questions for something to drink. Hermione waited until the door was closed then turned her eyes on the blonde in front of her.
"Are you ok?" Malfoy snorted.
"Do I look alright?" Hermione frowned.
"If you're going to be difficult I can escort you to an intern. I'm sure you'll have much more fun wasting their time." She said as she started to stand up, hands crossed. Malfoy held out his hand, telling her to stop.
"Don't. Sit down... you're the only one who can help me..." Hermione was stunned. Malfoy was actually coming to her for help. Something told her that this was some sick joke.
"If you're done making fun, you can go." Malfoy let out a cynical laugh. It wasn't pleasant to hear.
"I should have expecting that. I treat you like crap in school and you treat me like crap now."
"You still treat me like crap." Malfoy smirked.
"You never miss a beat." Hermione returned the expression.
"I know." Malfoy sighed.
"Look... I came here for your help. If you can't help me..." Hermione frowned again, looking over the blond curiously.
"What makes you think that I'm the only one who can help you? We have at least twenty Healers around here. Why am I all of a sudden special? I thought I was a mudblood." Just saying the word made Hermione feel sick.
"Because Mudblood. You're the only one whose actually cured someone who's been hit by the Caronas Curse." Hermione froze. Memories suddenly began flooding into her brain, all but one of them ending horribly. She met Malfoy's stormy grey eyes with something close to fear.
"What happened to you?" She asked as she slowly got to her feet, reaching for her wand. Malfoy saw what she was doing and pulled out his own wand.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Hermione gulped, glancing warily at the wand. She wasn't stupid. She didn't believe any of the crap that the Daily Prophet fed the public about how Draco Malfoy wasn't a deatheater and how he didn't know anything about the Dark Arts. She knew better.
"I should have you arrested right now," she said, glaring at him. Malfoy struggled to his feet.
"What makes you think I had anything to do with it?" Hermine rolled her eyes.
"The Caronas Curse. Only deatheaters know about that curse."
"Yeah and Healers!" Malfoy shot back. Hermione kept her eyes trained on Malfoy's trembling hands, the wand pointed directly at her heart.
"Well, you're not a healer, so where does that leave you?" Malfoy looked ready to attack, but he then suddenly deflated, exhastion taking over his features as his legs gave out again. Against her better judgement, she surged forward and grabbed Malfoy before he fell. Helping him into a chair she knelt beside him, listening to his labored breathing. She frowned.
"Who cursed you?" He smirked, looking down at the floor as he caught his breath.
"Would you believe me? Bellatrix." Hermione jerked.
"She went into jail five monthes ago." Malfoy nodded, not saying anything. Hermione's eyes bulged.
"You stupid git! Why didn't you come in earlier!" She grabbed his arm, pulled him out into the corridor and dragged him into a examining room. She pushed him onto a trip and waved a hand in his direction.
"Come on... take off your shirt." Malfoy's eyes bulged.
"What!" She rolled her eyes.
"Just take it off!" He held up his hands and began to unbutton his shirt, keeping a wary eye on Hermione. She huffed and pulled out her wand. Malfoy's eyes grew even larger.
"What are you going to do, Granger?" Hermione ignored him.
"Lie down." He didn't move. She stood up straighter, squaring her shoulders. She stuck out her hand and forced him down. Standing at the side of the bed. She waved her wand over his chest, inadvertently taking in his chisiled abs. Malfoy smirked.
"If I didn't know any better, Granger, I'd say you were checking me out. Ouch!" She jabbed him with her wand.
"Don't hold your breath. Comay Tonle." Hermione watched as his chest glowed. They were silent for a while before Hermione decided to speak.
"I have to know why you were cursed, Malfoy." He looked up at her with his cold grey eyes.
"I'd rather not say..." Hermione frowned.
"Malfoy, I can't help you if you don't tell me." Malfoy closed his eyes.
"I was caught with someone I wasn't supposed to be with ok..." He suddenly sat up, ignoring Hermione's protest. "Look, I came to you for one reasons. You're the only one who can help me. I don't want the press finding out about any of this, ok?" Hermione stared at him. She was quiet for a while before she spoke again.
"How do you know about my dealings with people with that curse? It was supposed to be top secret..." Malfoy gave his famous smirk.
"You forget I know everything, Granger." Hermione looked down at her wand, then up into his eyes.
"If you want my trust, I'm going to have to have yours..." Malfoy frowned. He looked around and sighed.
"What did you see?" He was changing the subject. Ron had done that so many times when they got into a sensitive topic. Mostly about their own relationship. Hermione let it slide for now, knowing that Malfoy wasn't going to tell her anything else. She tapped her wand against her wrist and watched it shoot out green sparks. Hermione frowned.
"You really should have come sooner..." If it was possible, Malfoy turned paler.
"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Hermione turned around and went to a clipboard on the counter. She began writing something down. Malfoy noticed that she was also pale. "Granger... what?" She turned around to him, her discision made up.
"Let's get something straight, Malfoy. I'm going to try to help you, but you're going to have to help me ok. Harry and Ron come around here often, so you're going to have to stay in the waiting room like everyone else until I have Jane go get you." Malfoy smirked.
"Your two body guards don't like leaving you alone?" Hermione glared at him.
"Ron and Harry are not my bodyguards. They just come around here often because they happen to be Aurors and usually have some injury or another." She took a deep breath, trying to keep on topic. The memories started to come again, filling up her sight with the reality she had wanted to go away ever since the first patient had arived to her, seeking help.
"I'm going to tell you something I've only told one other person... well actually I've told at twenty seven people, but only one of them is..." She drifted of, letting the word hang over them. Malfoy watched her struggle with words while trying to control her emotions. She took another deep breath. "I can't guarantee you that you're going to live... but I'll try..." Malfoy studied her carefully, then asked her the question that had been bugging him ever since she had dragged him into the room.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you helping me?" She was silent for a moment, then looked up at him.
"Because... Unlike Ron and Harry, I don't believe that you deserve to die... even if you are a former deatheater." Malfoy frowned.
"Former?" Hermione handed him his shirt and then tapped his left wrist with her wand.
"You should have thought to cover that up, before you came." Malfoy quickly put on his shirt and then grabbed her arm, before she left. Hermione flinched at his vice like grip.
"You're not going to go run to Weasel are you?" Hermione struggled to get out of his grasp, but he held on to her.
"First of all, it's Ron, and secondly," she finally wiggled free and got to the door. "If I can learn to trust Snape... I can learn to trust you..." With that she left the room, leaving Malfoy to think over the things she had revealed to him. On the other side of the door, Hermione leaned against the wall, fighting the urge to cry. Malfoy had unknowingly brought back memories that she would much rather have forgotten. Memories she never shared with anyone, and memories that only certian Healers knew about. She wiped her eyes, looking at the door. Would she fail like the last times? You suceeded once, she thought. She sighed. But is once, enough?
"Hermione. You ok?" She looked up to see Ginny staring at her, a concerned look on her face. Hermione looked around the table to find that Harry and Ron had the same concerned look on their faces. She tried to smile.
"Yeah... I'm fine. Just a little tired. I had a long day." Ron snorted, going back to the heaping plate of food before him.
"Figures. You work to much." Hermione puffed up slightly.
"Well, Ron. I need the money." Ron shook his head.
"That's not what I meant. I meant that you work yourself to hard." Hermione frowned.
"I do not work myself to hard." Ron shrugged, not wanting to get into a fight.
"Yeah, whatever." Hermione watched him for a minute then returned to her own untouched food. Harry decided to break the ice. He smiled.
"Guess what me and Ron found out."
"It's, Ron and I, Harry." Ron groaned and Hermione shot him a dirty look. Harry looked between the two with unease and continued.
"Well. Ron and I found out that Malfoy's been visiting the hospital." To everyone's shock Hermione spit out her juice, blanching. Ginny gave her a worried look.
"Hermione, are you ok?" Hermione placed a hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. She waved off Ginny's question.
"I'm fine," she said, turning to Harry, her eyes serious. "What about Malfoy?" Harry looked around the table, confused.
"Well, you know how we put a detail on him, you know, just to keep and eye on him. Well, the detail isn't exactly permitted to go into St. Mungos. Well, over the past two weeks, Malfoy's been going to St. Mungos. The strange thing is, no one knows what's going on. He goes in, stays for five minutes then leaves, angry." Hermione frowned.
"I've been on vacation for the past two weeks," she said, not realizing she had said that out loud. They all stared at her. "What?" Ron rolled his eyes.
"You need to get some rest, 'Mione." Hermione hated it when he called her that. It made her forget why she was angry with him in the first place. She nodded.
"Yeah... you're right." She stood up, giving Harry a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for dinner, Harry." He nodded and turned back to Ginny, both of them speculating on Malfoy's mysterious trips. Ron, however, got up and walked her to the door. Handing her her cloak, he observed her while she put it on. She was pale and he had a good feeling that it had nothing to do with the weather. When she was finished she looked up to find him staring at her. She blushed.
"What?" He continued to watch her.
"Are you ok, 'Mione? You've been acting funny ever since you got here." Hermione wanted so badly to tell him about her day, but for some reason she stopped. Maybe it was because she didn't want Ron sent to Azkaban for murdering Malfoy or because she just didn't want him to know. She gave him a smile and pecked him on the cheek.
"I'm ok, Ron. Like you said. I just need to get some sleep." Ron nodded and watched her disapparate.
A/N: Thanks for reading.
Coconut Girl: Bad boys rock!
x-Drama-Queen93-x-: Hope you like it!
connieewing: I'm glad you like!
Emma: Thank you!
Wesker888: I know... the first chapter is a little boring.
Chapter tease:
He slammed her into the wall, his fingers curling around her small throat. He leaned in, his face extremely close to her. She grabbed his hand, trying to pry him off. Her eyes were watering as she gasped for breath.
"I don't care! Do I look like I care!" She countinued to gasp, words evading her as she struggled to break free. He ignored her whimpering.
"I held up my end of the bargin. I suggest you hold up yours, Granger." He let her go, walking over to the door. Hermione slid to the floor, holding her smarting throat. Her head was pounding with pain.
"She's a muggle, isn't she?" Hermione whispered. Malfoy froze.
"What?" Hermione finally looked up. What she saw was fear.
"That person you were found with... she was a muggle..."