"We need to obtain the Dittany first." Draco said, matter of fact, once they'd made it outside of the hospital and away from prying ears.
"It's rare, but it should be relatively easy."
"Probably in Knockturn Alley." Draco gave a shady laugh before turning sharply and dissaparating with Hermione.
"Probably," Hermione agreed, "But I got it a few years ago without going there,"
She opened the door and let Draco in first, "I have a feeling I know who can get it easily." She said, following him in.
"Harryyyyyy," Hermione popped her head around his office door.
"Hermione," Harry smiled back, motioning her in, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Can you do something for me? Well, more like, get something for me?" Hermione asked, coming into his office.
"Well, that depends what it is." He said darkly, looking at her seriously.
"Nothing bad," She assured him, sitting down on the edge of his desk, "just a potion."
"Go on…" The man coaxed her, removing some papers from beside her.
"Essence of Dittany?" She smiled, looking up at him.
"Oh yeah, sure," He laughed slightly to himself, "Why didn't you just say?"
"I kind of like making you think I've turned to the Dark Arts."
"Keep letting Draco Malfoy live in your house, and you just might."
"Harry, please." Hermione said, all smiles gone.
"Come on."
Hermione followed Harry down the hallways of the Ministry, knowing that she herself could get the potion from the storerooms down below, but only Harry's status could get it easily.
She hadn't wanted to let herself think about Malfoy's prognosis. Hadn't allowed herself to count down. Days, the doctor thought. But still, had allowed him home. Not that the doctor had much choice, what with Draco being awfully skilled at the Imperius curse.
All that mattered to her was getting this potion finished. Getting Draco to live. She had shut everything else off. Distanced herself from him emotionally. Become numb in a race to save them both.
There was no option. She was going to win.
Walking swiftly in and out of the Ministry's stock cupboard was as easy as Hermione thought with Harry Potter on her shoulder. They exchanged few words, and Harry didn't ask any questions on why she needed the potion. He had learned to know when to leave things well alone. Hermione declined his offer for lunch, and signed out before going straight back home.
Although weak, Draco was still able to lift his wand and had done most of the packing by the time the owner of the house got there. Hermione had already arranged a portkey and they were set to leave any second now.
Stressed, Hermione took it upon herself to unpack and repack by hand, before unpacking and repacking again by magic.
"I'm glad we only need one bag." Draco joked from his armchair, staring at Hermione in amusement.
"Yeah, well…" Hermione started, "It's good to be prepared."
"I might not even need all these clothes." Draco said, levitating a pair of his underpants.
Hermione grunted and snatched the garment from the air before stuffing it back into the case and zipping it.
"Yes, you will," She told him firmly, standing up with the case, "I'm not coming home without you."
"You should make an Unbreakable Vow." He smirked, walking to the kitchen.
Hermione gave him a sharp look and all jokes were gone.
Using a Teleportation spell to send the suitcase ahead, Hermione and Draco placed their middle fingers onto a Jammie Dodger situated in the middle of the dining table, their other hands pressed firmly in each other's.
"Two, Three, On-," Hermione mumbled as she watched the clock on the wall, before suddenly being gripped by a hook at the navel and travelling head first into a spin.
The two tightened onto each other, using the other's hand for support. They closed their eyes together, Draco humming loudly until finally they reached a halt.
"That's what my head is like twenty-four-seven," Draco said, only mildly joking, as they landed softly on the ground.
The humid air whipped around them suddenly, almost suffocating them as their lungs got used to the new environment.
"It's colder than I thought." Draco commented, bending down and brushing the grass below him with the back of his hand.
"Just wait until summer," Hermione laughed, pulling Draco's hand which was still in hers, "Not that I plan on staying that long."
"You've packed enough." The man laughed, starting to walk in the direction they were facing.
"Do you know where you're going?" Hermione called out, dropping his hand to wipe her own on her blouse.
"No idea," He smiled, turning around with a grin, "I figured we could just see where the wind takes us."
"Or maybe, the people?" Hermione grinned and turned the other way, Draco moving back towards her to spot a large marketplace filled with people, sound filling the light of day.
"Yeah, maybe that's a good a place to start as any."
Shoving his arm softly, they walked silently together towards the path leading to the market, the noise of the people getting louder with each step.
"So, have you spoken to your mother at all in these past few months?"
"Not once…" Draco bowed his head, following his feet with his eyes, "Well, to be fair, I did try-but Father picked up the phone; and let's just say that didn't go too well."
"I'm sorry, Draco." Hermione stopped and kissed him on the cheek, but before he turned around to respond, the woman had started walking again; a slight pink tinge staining her cheeks.
"At least I'm not alone." Draco smiled, squeezing her hand.
Hermione's blush turned harder as she responded with a squeeze back, biting her lip to stop herself from beaming as her insides turned to jelly.
They reached the market soon, the heat blazing through the air and carrying them with it; weaving itself through the large crowds as people shuffled along their way. Music played from speakers perched on crooked stools, drifting in and out of different songs as they moved past each one. The street vendors of every shop competed with the music and the noise of desperate customers, each haggling for the best deal. Vendors, like commanders, made the street extremely narrow forcing people to walk in a straight file like soldiers on parade in every direction. People of all ages bumped into one another without a word, trying to push against the impossible current.
Tables stretched out, displaying the products openly for all to grab, feel and if they where daring enough-slip into their pockets; just as Draco did, with a well practiced, silent, wandless accio.
Shops contained different species of food, turning the nose of every passer-by. The two were held against the flow whenever someone ahead had stopped, forcing them to stand still and listen to what the nearest vendor had to offer.
"Would you like anything?" Draco asked Hermione, passing her some stolen bread and cheese as she gazed upon a jewelry stand.
"No, no," Hermione stated with a shake of her bushy head, "I'm just looking." But Draco couldn't help but note how she hadn't taken her eye off the ring nearest to them, despite having hold of a necklace from the other side.
"Three Thousand peso." The seller shouted to Hermione, taking the necklace out of her hands and placing it back down onto the black cotton shawl used as a tablecloth.
Disgruntled by the man's rude attitude, Hermione turned her head sharply and walked on, pushing past the person to her left angrily.
Eating her food, Hermione eyed up the stall tables from a distance before turning her eyes up ahead, to the beautiful view of the mountain. Smiling slightly, Hermione pulled out an envelope from her satchel and took out the papers inside. Through friends and contacts at the Ministry, she had managed to get in contact with Mayumi and Nenita, who were willing to put them up for the next few nights.
Tucking the address note back in the envelope, Hermione opened the folded page containing the hints for Draco's survival. She looked down at the blue ink of the once hidden words and then up at the mountain, where the ingredient added to the simple potion in her bag will change somebody's whole life.
"Hermione Granger, did you really rip out a page of a book?" Draco Malfoy's shocked voice came from her right shoulder, "And a library book, no doubt!" He gave a mock gasp, his hand to his mouth as he raised his eyebrows.
"Very funny," Hermione said, rolling her eyes as she turned around, folding the page over and placing it back in the envelope and in her bag, "We all have to break the rules sometimes."
"Very Slytherin of you." He planted a kiss on her lips and found her hand again.
"Have you ever been abroad before?" Hermione asked, looking up at him as they continued walking, trying to find their way out of the labyrinth of bodies.
"Only the once, we went to Africa when I was younger. The Dark Lord sent my father on a mission or something, if I recall correctly. Either way, we weren't there very long, and I can't remember very much."
"Shame." Hermione could sense the topic was not to be discussed.
"I keep forgetting that I'm speaking their language because of that charm. I just bought something and ended up PRO-NOUN-CING EVE-ERY WO-RD LI-KE TH-IS." Draco laughed to himself, bringing Hermione towards him as a rather large man carrying a goat under his arm came from the other side, brushing against them.
It was only then that Hermione realised that she had walked off without Draco, and felt stupid for it.
"What did you buy?" She asked curiously, looking behind her at the recent stands they had passed.
The man pointed to her other hand, "The sandwich."
Hermione smiled and continued to eat, remembering it was in her hand.
Draco smirked to himself before suddenly falling to the floor.
Hermione let out a high scream, and it took several moments for anybody to stop around them. Blood was gushing out of Draco's nose, and there was a trace of the crimson liquid at the corner of his lips.
Those surrounding stopped in their tracks, calling out for a medic, but Hermione could only see mouth moving. All sound had stopped. It took several seconds for Hermione to come to her senses and stop screaming; she bent down at Draco's head, his crumbled body spread out on the road like an animal caucus.
His eyes were rolled back into his head, his cheeks drained of colour, yet his forehead covered in new sweat.
Stranger's fingers covered his neck, checking his pulse, before turning him onto his back, then lifting him up, away from the crowds.
Hermione stood at the window, looking into yet another hospital room. Her hands were clutched to her heart and a frown sagged her face.
"You look like you've forgotten happiness exists," A woman in a white nurse's uniform came up to her, placing a hand on her back, "Would you like to go in to the room? To see him?"
Hermione nodded and shuffled slowly towards the door, before the nurse stopped her with her soft voice,
"Do you love him?" She asked, nodding towards Draco.
Hermione nodded, "Y-" Her throat was dry. She swallowed, "Yes."
"Then smile. Love is being alive," The nurse smiled brightly at the stranger standing in front of her, "Be alive for him."
Hermione attempted a smile and headed into the room, her eyes too tired to leak another tear.
"Stop the world, I'm getting off." Draco joked with a raspy voice, trying his best to manage a smile, despite the effort.
"Oh Draco." Hermione sighed, dropping the smile the nurse told her to put on.
She clasped both of his damp hands in hers, forcing herself not to look at any of the tubes connecting him to machines.
"How long did we manage?"
"About half an hour." Hermione let out a shaky laugh, shaking her head.
"It was beautiful, there was music." Draco's smile curled more at the edges as he devoured Hermione with his eyes, the most beautiful person he had ever seen.
"There was." She smiled herself, nodding slightly before biting her lip, trying to stop herself from laughing.
"What?" Draco asked, holding out a weak arm to hold Hermione's face in his palm.
"Just-" Hermione shook her head, "'It was beautiful, there was music'. I just never expected such a pretty sentence to come out of Draco Malfoy's mouth."
"Pretty sentence?" Draco gave a questioning look, before breaking out into a grin.
"Do you want to hear an even prettier sentence?" He asked her, holding on tightly to her hands.
"Go on…"
"Get the bag under the bed, it has my clothes in." He tried to lean over, but winced back in pain.
"That's not very pretty," Hermione joked, but reached under and pulled out the transparent bag, putting it onto the bed next to Draco's legs, "What is it you want?"
"Don't worry, I'll get to it," He laughed a little, "In my jeans' pocket, there's a little box, give it to me."
Hermione reached inside of the bag and found the trousers, then the pocket, then the box. She handed it to Draco.
He smiled at it and held it tightly in his closed fist, "Do you want to hear an even prettier sentence?" He asked her again.
"Always." She smiled, biting her lip slightly.
Draco used the last of his effort to open the tiny box, revealing the ring Hermione was staring at in the market.
"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"
Hermione opened her mouth, but no sound came out.