Dumbledore and Draco had been asked to wait in the main waiting area until there was news. The headmaster was content with reading that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet. Draco, however, was keeping tabs on where Jenna and Marcus were. They were just as aware of him as he was of them. The Jenna woman was still eyeing for her collection of Feeders while Marcus seemed to believe that glaring at him long enough would break him or something. Draco wasn't scared of them, but he was wary of what they could do. Granger was only half a succubus and her powers had been impressive when she'd been at her best. These two were full blooded and it seemed as if they had no problem doing exactly what they wanted. But they seemed content with simply watching him. Would they try to make a move on him when Granger became normal? Jenna had said their Code kept them from moving in on someone's claim and they believed he was Granger's.
He eyes drifted to one of the doors leading into the recovery ward. The Medi-witch said Granger would be in one of those beds after the procedure. The two of them weren't close, not like she was with Potter and the Weasel or him with Pansy and Blaise. But he was the only one who knew about her. How could he deny her request to come with her? Especially after he'd seen her fear all morning. She needed someone and the least he could do was be that person. His gaze dropped back to Jenna and Marcus. When he had been threatened, she'd jumped in for him. She was in pain and beyond tired but she'd been ready to fight for him if Jenna hadn't stepped in between the two of them. He looked back at the ward doors. Before this year, she never would have done that. Everything had changed between them. In a way, they were friends. He should probably start acting more like it.
"She'll be fine, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said. Draco dropped his attention to his headmaster. The man turned the page in his newspaper. "Miss Granger is a strong woman and she's in the best hands anyone could ask for."
Draco nodded but said nothing. The news wasn't as comforting as he thought it might be. It seemed to grow his anxiety instead. He remembered what Granger had gone through during the war. A lesser person wouldn't have been able to handle everything that she'd been through. She could tolerate a bit of pain if it meant getting better but what if it didn't work? Sure, they said that it worked, but something couldn't work all the time. What if Granger was the exception? He was just starting to like her. Maybe even accepting her as a friend. He was allowed to worry about her, right?
The ward doors opened and the Medi-witch from before made her way over. Draco felt his chest relax as he took in her kind smile. "Everything went well," the witch said. "She's resting right now and should stay a few days so we can oversee her recovery, but she'll be fine."
"Can we see her?" Draco asked.
"She's still a little groggy, but able to receive visitors. This way." Draco followed her into the ward after a quick glance over his shoulder. Jenna and Marcus were watching him in amusement but turned to the two young men who joined them. Were those their Feeders? Draco pushed the idea out of his mind and focused on not losing sight of the Medi-witch as she lead him and Dumbledore to a small room tucked away from the larger recovery areas.
There was a significant improvement to Granger's complexion. Gone was the pale and sunken look to her face, replaced with a slight blush to her cheeks. At some point, her hair had been twisted into a side braid. Her fingers played with the end but she stopped when he entered her room.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
She smiled. "Good. No pain at all."
"Excellent news," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling as she smiled at his student. "Now, you just rest up for the next few days and listen to your doctor. Don't worry about your classes or your duties. I'm sure Mr. Malfoy will be more than willing and quite capable to take over in your absence."
Granger nodded and turned to Draco. "Thanks." She looked at the headmaster for a moment. "Could I talk to Draco alone before you leave?"
"Of course. I'll be right outside." Dumbeldore turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Are you really all right?"
"Yeah. I can't feel your desire or anything. I feel like I used to." She wrung her fingers together. "I want to thank you for being here. And I'm sorry for everything I put you through."
"It's all right. What are friends for?"
She blinked up at him. "Friends? Really?"
Draco shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Well, we might as well be, don't you think? I mean, we haven't really started out like most friends do, but I think it's safe to call us that." He shifted slightly. "If you want, I mean." Why was he nervous? He'd made friends before. She was still Granger.
She smiled then and it felt as if his lungs had expelled all the air they held. She seemed so open, so warm in that single gesture. She reached out and took his hand in hers, giving it a soft squeeze. "I'd like to be your friend, Draco."
He returned her smile with one of his own, the nerves leaving his body as if they had never been there to begin with. "Good. I think we'll be good friends, Granger."
"Hermione."
He nodded. "Hermione." She leaned back against her pillows, her eyes starting to droop. "I guess I'll go and let you rest."
She nodded and was soon asleep, her hold on his hand falling lax. Draco watched her for a moment, pleased that her face no longer twisted up in pain or discomfort. There was a full recovery in her future. He hoped. He withdrew his hand and silently left the room. Dumbledore said nothing about the secluded visit. He simply held out his hand, Draco took it, and they apparated back to the headmaster's office.
"Good evening, Professor," Draco said as he left. After the eventful day, he was looking forward to a nap and a good book. But he didn't get far once he left the hidden stairwell because Potter, the Weasel, and the female Weasley rounded the corner with Blaise and Pansy close behind. Odd pairings didn't even cover that scene.
"Draco," Blaise called, raising his hand. "We've been looking all over for you. Were you with Dumbledore?"
"Never mind that," the Weasel said. "Where's Hermione?"
"I keep telling you, Weasley. Finding Draco wouldn't necessarily find Granger." Blaise rolled his eyes at the red head before turning to his friend. "So? What's up?"
Draco looked over the group. Hermione still hadn't told her friends about everything and he didn't want to release that information without her permission. It was still her business. But her friends should know where she was, if not what she was there for. He'd have to make his friends swear to keep quiet about everything, too. Rumors had a life of their own if you weren't careful. Especially in a hormonal place where everyone lived too closely to one another.
"Hermione is at St. Mungos," he said, watching the shock appear on everyone's face. "She became ill and has received treatment. She's fine but needs to stay there for a few days under observation."
"I didn't think she was that sick," Potter said. "Why didn't she tell us?"
"She didn't want you to worry about her. I'm only telling you this because you're her friends."
The Weasel frowned. "Did you do something to her?"
Draco frowned. "Contrary to your belief, Weasel, I'm not a bad guy anymore. Hermione and I are friends now. I don't hurt my friends."
The Weasel opened his mouth, probably to shout out more accusations, but his sister stepped in. "Thank you, Draco. It's good to know that Hermione has someone else watching her back. You know how she keeps things to herself sometimes." Draco slowly nodded. Ginny turned to her brother and boyfriend. "We should probably start on our homework. Without Hermione here to give us that extra push to get it done, we'll have to focus more." She looped her arms with the two boys and pulled them away.
Pansy smirked at Draco. "So you and Hermione, huh?"
"We're friends."
She raised her hands. "Never said you weren't, did I?" Blaise laughed behind her, covering his mouth with his hand. Draco sighed and headed toward his room. Friends. They were just plain annoying sometimes.