"Come on, it's getting cold and you need to sleep." She allowed him to help her up, but pulled away quickly. He noticed how quickly she let go, but he didn't comment or show any emotion. Hermione headed up the stairs not turning to look back.
"Goodnight, Draco." She spoke just above a whisper. It was enough for him to hear, and make him smile.
"Goodnight, Hermione." Sweet dreams.
Hermione opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times and then rubbed them. But it didn't make a difference. She still couldn't see anything. The cold wind rushed past her, causing her to shiver, her chattering teeth the only sound in the darkness. She opened her mouth but no sound would come out. Somehow, she made her way to her feet, using her hands to try and gain her balance. Shuffling, she moved one foot in front of the other, walking slowly and blind. Her hand hit a cold wall in front of her, the rough stone grazing her skin. She was completely and utterly confused, unsure of where she was, or how she got there.
A piercing scream rang through the air and Hermione spun around to pin point the sound. But there was nothing. No light, no sound, nothing. Unsure what to do, she tried to calm her racing heartbeat as she thought of ways out. But with no idea of anything she couldn't come up with any plans.
Another scream rang through the air followed by quiet whimpering. Hermione tried to call out, but no voice would come. She guessed by the sound of the whimpering that it was a child crying. She longed to reach out and protect the young one, but she had no idea where they were, or if they were real.
Above her, a light bulb flickered on, illuminating the whole room and stunning Hermione for a moment. She covered her eyes from the blinding light before squinting to get her bearings. She noticed the walls all around her were indeed made of rough stones as she suspected, with no door visible. The room was bare, void of any furniture or any other signs of life. Glancing up, she noticed the bare bulb was the only thing on the dark cold ceiling.
The wind rushed passed her again, confusing her as she had seen no way for the air to flow. The tiny whimpering noise returned and she peered around trying to find the source while avoiding blinding herself from the light. She noticed a shadowy shape standing in one corner. The height indicated it was a child, but she couldn't tell anything else about the kid that would identify it.
She headed over to the child, kneeling in front of it. Hermione guessed it was a girl based on its long tangled hair. The girl's face remained in shadow, so she couldn't see much, but she did notice the girl stopping her crying, her eyes widening as she looked at something behind Hermione. A shadow was cast over her, and Hermione straightened up and spun around. She felt his arm throw her against the stone wall. His freckled arm remained against her throat, cutting off her oxygen supply. She struggled, trying to kick him in an attempt to get free, but he was stronger and barely flinched as her foot connected with his knee.
"You are mine. Never forget that." He snarled into her ear.
Hermione whimpered, and struggled to get oxygen but managed enough air to mutter "I'm...not...yours."
"Yes you are. You always be. You will never get away from me. Never..." He leaned in closer and she opened her mouth to scream.
Her eyes shot open in the near darkness, the little light that infiltrated the room was coming from the room on the other side of the half closed bedroom door. Then she noticed the person sitting on the bed holding her arm. She sucked in air as if to scream, but they hushed her gently.
"Hermione, it is just a dream." The soft voice belonging to Draco Malfoy broke the silence.
"But...Ron...he..." Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she stumbled over her words in an attempt to form a sentence.
"He isn't here. You are safe here." He took her other arm, turning her to look at him. The little light in the room was enough for him to see her face, and the river of tears that adorned it.
Hermione felt uncomfortable. Her worst enemy from school was comforting – or trying – after she had a nightmare. She could tell, even with the lack of lighting that he wasn't sure of what to do; either he was finding it awkward to be around her after a nightmare, or whether he just found it uncomfortable around tears.
She pulled away from where their arms were touching, surprised when he released his hold. She rubbed the tears away with her fists, leaving faint red marks where she rubbed too hard. She sat in the silence, wondering if it would be safe to sleep once more. And wondering why Draco hadn't left her alone...which created another question...Why did he come to her in the first place? Did he care?
Draco woke up in the dead of the night with no idea why he was awake. As far as he could tell, there were no noises or lights to wake him from his dreamless sleep. He lay in the warmth of his bed, listening for any slight noises or indications of why he had been awoken.
A muffled sound came from down the hall. He sat up, cocking his head in the direction of the door and once again heard the sound; a muffled cry. He got out of bed, thinking it was one of the kids. Rose most likely, he thought to himself as he silently checked the first bedroom.
The occupant inside, Hugo, was sound asleep, snoring a little in a manner than reminded Draco of who fathered the young boy. In the next room, Scorpius was also sound asleep, this boy much like his father too, only the pair didn't snore. A light flickering on across the hall immediately told Draco that Rose was awake.
Heading into the room, he was surprised to see the young girl sitting up in bed, running her fingers through her long curls as she did when she was upset or nervous. He went to ask her what was wrong but she lifted her small hand and pointed at the wall. At first he didn't understand – the wall was blank, but as Rose kept pointing while holding a single finger on her other hand to her lips he finally got her message...she wasn't the person making the sound; it was Hermione, who lay sleeping in the other room.
Her hand pointed in the direction of her mother's room once more, this time more urgently. He took it as a hint and left her in peace. He looked to the end of the hall, where the door to Hermione's room lay slightly ajar. The sounds of her crying nearly made him want to hex Ron Weasley so bad he would wish he wasn't born – for Draco was certain that was what Hermione's nightmare was about. Without thinking he sat on the bed next to her, gently shaking her and whispering her name until she awoke.
Draco watched as she scrubbed away her tears as if they were stubborn streaks of mud or grease. He pulled her fists away from her face, stopping her from doing any more harm.
Hermione looked down at her small hands wrapped in his larger ones. She couldn't help but marvel at how gentle he was with her. After all the mean things she had said to him, he hadn't returned in violence, only ever being kind and gentle, making her truly believe he had changed, at least a little.
He smiled when he realised how at ease she was with him, but his further inspection of her face showed she was still looking slightly haunted from her nightmare. He summoned a vial of dreamless sleep wordlessly and handed to her. Without even commenting she downed half the vial and handed it back. He sighed as he put the stopper back in the top and sent it to her bedside table. He was quite content with how they were getting on, but his conscience whispered 'she isn't fully awake. She isn't aware it is you..." Inwardly, he snarled at his mind, knowing that it was right, and it would take time for her to trust him. But as she leaned into him, he couldn't help but wonder how she felt.
She shifted herself, leaning into the arms of the man next to her. When his arms folded around her on their own accord she allowed her eyes to shut, feeling safer. It didn't take long for the half-asleep woman to fall back into slumber once more, this time a dreamless one. She never felt him pick her up and put her back in her bed, gently prying her hands from the grip she had on him as he softly pressed his lips to the top of her head, letting her sleep again while he wondered how much she would remember in the morning.