Author's Note: Hermione has a lot of progress to make on the long road to recovery. As always, JKR is Head of the Office for Magical Literature Enforcement! Please review.

Draco's eyes shot open and it took him a moment to get his bearings as he sat up straight. He was breathing heavily from the sudden wake-up and his hair was a mess, sticking out in all different directions. Once he was more aware of his surroundings, he realised he had been asleep on the couch, and had been woken up by noises coming from the bedroom.

Granger.

The pitiful moans and whimpers were getting increasingly louder, and every now and then she emitted a pained groan that echoed out into the living room. It was dark now, and she had been asleep for hours. Draco had made them both food earlier but hers had been sitting there for a while under a stasis charm. Another groan interrupted his drowsy thoughts, and he shuffled towards the bedroom, stopping in the doorway.

She was having a nightmare.

He wasn't surprised. She had endured horrific torture at Bellatrix's hands, and he imagined she would be plagued by those memories for years to come. Draco realised he hadn't had a chance to give her the dreamless sleep potion, so it was inevitable really. He crept closer to her and stood by the bed for a while, watching her twisting under the sheet. Her forehead was sweaty and pale and he could see her eyes roving under the lids.

It was strange how even in her worst moment she was still beautiful. The moonlight came into the room in swathes of delicate silver. It made her skin shine like an ethereal angel, especially with her chestnut brown hair spilling over the pillow like a curly halo.

When she released another howl of pain, he shook himself out of his trance and stepped up beside the bed.

"Granger," he murmured, hoping to wake her but knowing it probably wouldn't be that simple.

When she didn't respond, he leaned in and touched his hand to her shoulder.

"Granger," he said a little louder.

She jerked towards him, her fingers wrapping around his forearm and clinging onto him. It hurt, but he could grit his teeth and bear it. He was sure she was hurting more. Her eyes clenched shut and she shuddered as she called out again. Draco sat on the bed, prising his arm from her grasp and wrapping his own hands around her shoulders. He tried not to seem like he was restraining her – he didn't want her to panic – but he wanted to keep her from accidentally doing harm to herself.

Finally when he had her securely held, ignoring the pinpricks of desire he felt touching her and holding her so close, he said her name again.

"Gra…G…Hermione." The name rolled off his tongue like a prayer, and he inwardly berated himself for being such a sap.

"Hermione," he said more forcefully.

Her eyes finally shot open and she stared at him in horror for a moment as she drew herself out of the nightmare.

"It's alright, you're safe. No one is trying to hurt you."

He repeated the words in a soothing voice until she stopped thrashing and her body stilled. She was frozen, taking deep panting breaths as her eyes looked wildly around the room. Once he was sure she wouldn't hurt herself or lose control, he released her shoulders and sat back with a sigh of regret. Despite the circumstances it had been nice touching her. He watched her intently as she stared at the ceiling, remembering where she was and what had happened. He quietly summoned a glass of water and handed it to her. She silently accepted it, still not meeting his eye, and drained the glass quickly.

"Are you in any pain?" he asked eventually.

She raised her eyes to meet his stare and he immediately became lost in the sea of endless brown. She blinked a couple of times and took a deep breath.

"I…I'm hungry," she finally croaked, and Draco nodded quickly.

"Of course, you probably haven't eaten in days."

He summoned the plate of food from the kitchen and released the stasis charm. Placing the tray on the bed next to her, he tried to give her some semblance of privacy to eat by fishing out new vials of potions and lining them up on the bedside table.

When he looked back at her he saw that she was eating fast. Too fast.

She must have been starving. He had no idea what the golden trio had been doing before they wound up at the manor. If they were wandering the country as the Dark Lord suspected then they might not be eating as regularly as usual. That would certainly explain her weight loss.

"Slow down, Granger," he warned carefully, "You'll make yourself sick."

She lifted wide, horrified eyes to his and dropped her fork to her plate. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes before picking up the fork and trying again.

"Of course," she murmured with cheeks flushed, and he knew she was embarrassed that he had to remind her of how to care of herself. He had often watched her reading medical tomes in the library - preparing for her role in looking after Potter, he assumed. He waited until she had eaten enough and was starting to slow down before he took the tray away and banished it to the kitchen.

"Better?" he asked.

Hermione stared at him with a puzzled frown.

"Why are you being so nice?" she asked in a weak, hoarse voice.

Draco grimaced and leaned away from her, staring at a spot on the carpet. Despite how much his mind had been turning over how to answer her questions, he still wasn't sure exactly what to say.

"I'm a nice guy," he said, aiming for dismissive humour.

Hermione's frown deepened and she pursed her lips in distaste.

"But you're not. That's my point."

Draco actually laughed then.

Damn, she's good, he thought as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Malfoy," Hermione croaked, "why did you save me?"

His smile faded as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Because I could...because the opportunity presented itself" he finally said with a stiff formality.

She observed him for a while until she built up the courage to speak again.

"But you hate me," she said in a small voice.

Draco released a deep breath, squirming a little on the edge of the bed.

"Look, Granger, I know what you're thinking, but I'm not the prat I was in our first few years…" he trailed off, trying furiously to think what to say next.

I'm in love with you…

That would be emotional suicide. He actually had to bite down on his tongue to stop himself from blurting it out.

"I know," she said, and it took a while for the words to register in his mind. She was looking at him with a mixture of confusion and what might be sympathy.

"What?" he asked dumbly.

Granger looked down at her hands where she was fiddling with the edge of the blanket.

"I know you're not a prat anymore. Anyone with half a brain can see that you've changed."

Draco smirked, strangely pleased that she had noticed. It meant she had watched him as well, even if not for the same reasons. He leaned forwards and let a few strands of blonde hair fall down across his eyes as he lowered his head. Granger continued,

"But Malfoy, You didn't just save me because you're nice now. There's a big difference between not being a bully in school, and risking your life to save a mudblood."

Draco flinched violently at the word and his gaze jolted up to stare at her in horror. Did she not realise that the word had been carved onto her? He didn't like the sound of the word coming from her lips. He knew that he was the one who had called her that for so long, but it felt so wrong now for her to refer to herself that way.

"Don't say that," he rasped without thinking. Granger's frown deepened.

"Say what?" she asked curtly.

"That word," he spat. He saw her wince a bit at his harsh tone, but it soon gave way to a more intense expression of confusion.

"That's a bit hypocritical don't you think?" She didn't sound angry. In fact, Draco was surprised that she sounded so calm, and he was sure his surprise showed on his face. She seemed to be puzzled, not upset or mad.

"Yes, it is," he admitted quietly.

Hermione continued to look at him, her head cocked to one side as she pondered him. He met her gaze, his mouth dry as he took her in.

"Malfoy…" she murmured at last, taking a deep breath and looking nervous. He leaned forward, his heart skipping a beat as he waited for her to continue, "I…well…I need to use…do you…" she trailed off, biting her lip.

He loved it when she did that. She had a few different lip bites. Nervous, excited, focused, determined. This one was definitely anxious.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She squirmed a little on the bed before she met his eye again, taking another breath and speaking very quickly.

"I need to use the bathroom."

Draco blushed a little bit and looked at the floor, running his hand through his hair and messing it up even more than its sleepy state.

"Right…of course you do."

He stood and moved around the bed to the side closest to the bathroom.

"Do you think you can walk?" he stammered.

Granger pursed her lips and slowly swung her feet around to rest on the floor. She was clearly moving stiffly and lethargically, and wasn't supporting any weight on her left arm where the scar was. Without answering him, she gingerly began to put weight on her feet. She wiggled her toes and took some heavy breaths to give herself energy.

Draco watched her very carefully. Tilly had magically changed her into some more comfortable clothes that they could work around when they were healing her. She wore white cotton pants and a navy t-shirt that fit her snugly. It was far more suitable than the jeans and jumper she had been in when she first arrived. He wasn't sure where Tilly had put the old clothes; it was likely she had cleaned and ironed them already.

When Granger was finally done preparing herself, she swung herself up onto her feet and stood wobbling for a second. Draco grimaced and began to step closer to help, but she shot him a fiery glare.

"Don't," she said brusquely, and Draco let his hand drop, disappointed. He wasn't sure if she was just determined to do it by herself or she didn't want him touching her, but it still stung.

Once she had gained her balance, she tried to take a couple of tentative, shuffling steps. Her face was screwed up in pain, and she was holding her scarred forearm rigidly in front of her, huddled against her belly.

Granger managed to take two steps before her eyes widened in shock. He saw her knees quivering and then with a shout of surprise she began to topple forwards. Draco acted quickly. He stepped in close to her and wrapped his arms around her. She was so light, he had no problems taking all her weight on him.

"You're alright, I've got you," he murmured into her ear. She shivered in response and he felt her draw in panting breaths.

"I'm fine, Malfoy. Just put me back on my feet. I lost balance, that's all,"

Draco rolled his eyes. She could barely get the sentence out; her teeth were clenched so tightly in pain.

"Don't be stupid, you can't even stand."

Granger huffed and kept trying to push him away, but he held on tighter and forced her to look at him. Their faces were so close he could feel her little gasps of air fall on his cheek, and he let his eyes flicker, just briefly, down to her lips.

"Damnit, Granger, stop struggling," his words or his harsh tone must have achieved the desired effect, because she froze, looking at him with impotent rage.

"Your body has a lot of healing to do. So stop being so fucking stubborn, and just accept some help," he spat, feeling his frustration with her bubbling over. The last thing he wanted was for her to damage herself further.

Granger pursed her lips.

"And why should I trust you?" she spat, causing Draco to flinch again.

"You don't really have any other choice right now," he argued back.

She squirmed a bit under his piercing stare, and he knew from the fiery look in her eyes that she was thinking fast. He loved that about her. The way she had so much going on in her head that it completely transformed the expression on her face. Most girls had mastered the blank look that they thought was appealing by her age. But Granger was unapologetically sure of herself.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with," she finally said with a sulky look. He was surprised then when she voluntarily looped her arm around the back of his neck. She must have lost the debate with herself when her bladder demanded that she just put up with it. He felt a quiver of excitement go through him which he quickly supressed at the feel of her soft curves pressing against him. He accepted the weight of her as he leaned down and curled one arm under her knees.

"Ok, hold on," he murmured as he scooped her into his arms. She really was very light, too light. But her skin was warm to touch and where she wasn't wearing clothes she felt so unimaginably soft. A mountain of curls spilled around them as he carried her gently into the bathroom. Granger was looking at him with something akin to surprise. Maybe she hadn't expected him to be so tender in his treatment of her. He gingerly set her down next to the toilet.

"Wait outside for a bit, I'll call you when I'm ready," she said, her chin in the air, exuding a sense of dignity he thought would've been difficult to pull off in this position.

"Yes, princess," he said with an arrogant smirk. Just when Granger opened her mouth to retort, her eyes alight with fire, he left the room with a firm snap of the door behind him.

Merlin, she was a firecracker.

Even when she was exhausted and in pain, she still stood up to him and kept him on his toes. The pureblood girls he had been introduced to throughout his youth had been nothing like her. Maybe that was what he liked about her so much. Those girls were taught to be seen but not heard. Girls like Pansy always agreed with whatever he said, and rarely expressed their own opinions. But not all girls at Hogwarts were like that. And Granger was in a league of her own. She was passionate about everything. She always threw her whole self into any situation, and never held anything back. His lips cracked into a smile as he remembered the slap delivered back in third year. His jaw still sometimes twitched when he thought about it.

Lost in his thoughts, it took him a few moments to realise she was calling for him from the bathroom. He casually walked back in, giving her a smug smile when she looked outraged at his laid back attitude.

Making her angry was so much better than seeing her tired and haunted eyes.

"Alright, back to bed," he said slowly as she glared back at him. But she didn't argue as he hoisted her up again and returned her to the bed. When he got there he saw that Tilly must have popped in and left more water and potions, including the dreamless sleep.

"You should sleep some more, your body is still catching up and needs time to absorb all the potions in your system."

Granger nodded. She wriggled carefully under the blankets again, but kept herself propped up on some pillows as she sipped the water. Throughout all this, her eyes never left his.

"You didn't really answer my question," she said quietly, accusingly.

Draco pondered her for a while. He couldn't tell her the truth. She wasn't ready to hear it. She would most likely never be. He'd probably go to his grave with her never knowing how he felt and why he really saved her, but that would be for the best. Finally he spoke, choosing his words carefully.

"I didn't choose to be a death eater," he watched nervously as Granger considered him, her head cocked to one side as that crease appeared between her brows, "I know you think I'm a monster, and in some ways I am. But I don't believe in that shit. If Potter wins this bloody war then I can run away somewhere and live in peace and quiet. And the way I see it, Potter won't get very far without his precious know-it-all."

Granger was frowning at him in confusion. He swallowed the lump in his throat, hurting as it went down.

"So…you did all this to save your own skin in the end?"

Draco shrugged, trying to look casual.

"I'm a Slytherin aren't I?"

He saw her face relax a bit, and she seemed to nod to herself, as if reaching a conclusion about him in her mind.

"What is it Granger?"

"Nothing," she said wearily, her face dropping a little, "I was just expecting something more…I dunno…noble. But I guess that was foolish of me."

Draco let her words stab him right in his chest. He felt his skin crawl at her look of disappointment.

"Well you wouldn't be you if you didn't at least try to believe the best in people," he muttered. As soon as the words left his mouth he cursed himself. He had been overcome by her soft, sad voice, and he hadn't been thinking. She was looking at him more intently now, and he realised he couldn't meet her eye. Her stare was piercing right through him. She wasn't stupid. She must know there was more to it than that. And judging by the thoughtful look on her face, she might already know he was putting on an act.

"Drink that," he cut in before she could say anything more, pointing to the vial on the nightstand. Granger reached over with a trembling hand to pick it up. The trip to the bathroom had exhausted her. She might seem strong, but the quiver of her fingers and the tension in her eyes gave it away. She sniffed the potion.

"Dreamless sleep?" she asked with a raised brown.

"It might help…" he started to say, but then shook himself quickly, "I'd prefer not to be woken again."

Granger almost smiled then, noticing his error.

"You're a selfish prick, Malfoy," she argued back, clearly playing along with his ruse. He didn't know whether to be grateful she wasn't pushing it, or terrified that she could read him so well.

"And you're a snooty bitch," he retorted, spinning around and heading towards the door. Before he could leave he heard her calling his name softly.

"Malfoy?"

"What?" he replied curtly. When he looked back over his shoulder he could see she had taken the potion, as she was slowly sinking back into the pillows. Her eyes were drooping even as she began speaking.

"Whatever your selfish reasons were for saving me, I…" she paused and took a deep breath, and Draco felt himself holding his breath too. Finally she continued in a quiet, slurred voice balancing on the edge of sleep. "Thank you."

Draco's gut dropped in a feeling as unpleasant as it was elating. He quickly left the room, shutting the door carefully behind him so as not to wake her when she was just dropping off.

He leant for a moment against the back of the door, shaking his head. Draco had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Granger had a way of completely obliterating his common sense and his self-control all at once. He probably only confused her more. He ran his fingers through his hair again. Maybe he needed more sleep too. If he wanted to help Granger recover and keep his sanity intact, he had to find a way to cope with all this. Confessing his undying love to her would only lead to him getting his heart broken. And pretending to be a bastard again and making her hate him would also lead to him getting his heart broken. So he needed to find an alternative somewhere in between those two ideas.

Shaking his head, he snorted softly to himself.

Who was he kidding?

No matter what he did, at some point Granger would leave him and go back to her stupid quest with her moron friends. All he could do was hold onto her for as long as he could so he could at least pretend, just for a little while.