A/N: Still don't own HP. Or Draco.

Funny story, actually:

Me: Come on JKR, I just want Draco, you can keep everyone else.

JKR: NO! Draco is mine. Just mine. You can try Tom Felton, though.

Me: *Sigh* I want Malfoy, not Felton.

JKR: NO. *slams door in my face*

Me: So, that went well...

Beta'd by the amazing SilverRiv! She rules! Any further mistakes are all on me. I can't help adding in some last minute changes before I publish :P

Thanks to all who are still reading at this point. Please leave your feedback-it doesn't cost you anything, right?

Chapter 8:

When Hermione woke up next, she was in a private ward in St. Mungo's.

A bowl of warm soup sat on the bedside table, and after her week of self-induced starvation, she happily dived for it. Not even bothering with a spoon, she brought the rim of the bowl to her lips and started gulping it down directly, ignoring its scalding heat.

'Whoa, 'Mione, slow down! It's piping hot!' The bowl tugged itself from her hands firmly, and Harry Potter grinned at her indignant expression, shaking his head fondly. He stood at her bedside in heavily creased Auror robes, looking tired but happy. 'How are you doing?'

'I'm fine, Harry. It's good to see you.' she replied convincingly, her eyes never leaving the bowl hovering just out of her reach. 'I haven't had a decent meal in weeks! Now give me the soup!'

'I'm surprised you can still talk,' he murmured, muttering a cooling charm at her tongue, then at the soup bowl. 'Should I be worried about you turning into a complete savage?' he teased, still holding the bowl just out of the reach of her desperate fingers.

'Just this once?' she pleaded, pouting so adorably that he just had to give in.

'Just this once,' he conceded, letting her pounce at the soup bowl. 'Can't have another Ron around here now, can we? One is bad enough.'

'Thanks, Harry,' she grinned happily at him, hunger overriding her need to feel affronted at his comment. She downed the rest of the soup in a single large gulp. 'Any chance I can get sandwiches, too?'

'They're already on the way,' he assured fondly.

'How long was I out?' she asked tentatively. Considering the amount of power she'd put into the Battle Spell, she was surprised to be alive in the first place. A week would be a generous estimate.

'Just a few hours.' Harry replied, brows raised. 'And you can thank Malfoy for that. The last spell performed with his wand was a Patronus Charm, and before that, it was Tribuo Potestatem.'

Hermione blinked in surprise, translating the Latin phrase in her mind. A Power-Transfer Spell. She hadn't even known it was possible. Vaguely she remembered the spell being cast, right when she was on the brink of unconsciousness.

'So you want to tell me what happened?' Harry asked, recognizing her puzzle-solving expression.

Memories of her time in the Manor's dungeons filtered through her mind, and she stiffened slightly. There was no way she could tell him everything, she realized. 'What do you need to know?' she evaded uncertainly.

Harry sighed, catching her uneasiness. 'Well, all I do know is I got an owl about three days ago claiming that someone knew your location, and would send a Patronus on Halloween Night so we would know when and where to come and find you. I wasn't sure if they'd demand a ransom, or if it was a friend or foe, so I put together a team of the best Aurors and settled down to wait at the Ministry. So imagine my surprise when a Snake Patronus appears at midnight to tell us you were on the grounds of Malfoy Manor. We apparated to Malfoy Manor to find the wards down – and those were blood wards, mind you, so either Draco or Narcissa had to have done it – and then there you were, unconscious in Malfoy's arms.' Harry paused uncertainly, as if he were expecting her to comment.

When she said nothing, he simply continued the story. 'It was quite a sight. Death Eaters everywhere, all unconscious, with their Dark Marks burnt off. There was some Potion there too, and our Department for Magical Catastrophes is working on identifying it as we speak. Of course, I noticed all that only later. At first all I could see was you and Malfoy. Are you two...' he paused delicately, eyes intent on her face. 'You haven't been seeing each other recently or anything, have you?'

Hermione squirmed internally, trying not to blush at the question. Should she lie? What if he found out later?

'You know you can tell me anything, Hermione,' he prodded. 'I won't judge, or tell Ron, I swear.'

That sealed it, then. She could be partially honest, at least. 'It was just a one-time deal,' she admitted hesitantly, her cheeks blazing.

He looked genuinely surprised. 'Huh. I could've sworn – never mind. You'll figure it out.'

Before she could ask what he meant, however, her other best friend, Ron Weasley, arrived -and he was carrying a large stack of Mrs. Weasley's corn and spinach sandwiches. That effectively called for a break in conversation as they all dug in.

By the time the boys left, a couple of hours later, Hermione had recounted a heavily censored version of events for the Aurors' record – carefully glossing over sensitive portions while still managing to paint the Malfoys in a heroic light. It was the least she could do for them in return, she supposed. They were the only reason she was still alive and breathing.

She'd managed to sneak in a question about the Malfoys without drawing suspicion (at least not from Ron), and had learned that while both Draco and Narcissa were in custody along with the other Death Eaters, it was a mere formality. There would be a trial, after which they were to be cleared of all charges in exchange for testifying against the others. The whole process would take a week at most. What seemed to bother Harry most, though, was the lack of the slightest blemish on the arms of both Malfoys – the other Death Eaters had had terrible burn marks, which had been deemed impossible to cure, even by magical methods.

Well, maybe she could sneak a visit to Draco once she got out of the hospital, she thought morbidly, staring at the ceiling in her private ward. She should at least thank him properly for everything he and his mother had done for her.

A/N: Reviews are like SMILES – they COST you NOTHING, but can brighten another person's day. Please leave a review! Your opinion means a lot to me! Thank you!

My undying love to everyone who has supported me so far! Yes, I'm talking about you, SilverRiv, garbleturkey, kmuscutt23, chemical flashes, marianna79, KittyKatSilvana, Montara, imadoodlenoodle, ADragons-LionHeart, JusMeMarissa, anja quickert 9, theunstable1, frogtastic, sweets1111, Beth, nikkigerald, PraiseGod, Sadler26, Lilhipkaligurl, lynnchan111, midnight-rxse, sln1987, BooBooKittyluv,AngeloftheAurora, Dramionelover26, keith alexe, rinmagic2, snlemonpie, LumosLight06, Mika Dain, mumma yoda, MorteDiem, voldys eighth horcrux, mallori johnson 7, mangoscabs, KeiraJ13, MissMaryLiz, asscheeks26, vampirequeengoddess, Karmidee, Lupine Princess, Schizo Zombie Kitten, enchanted16, kvance, poiuytrewqasdfghjklmnbvcxz, Carinalove67, Tsuki916, gingernightowl, Esthela89, Madelun, agj-girl, HPotter25, Montyyx, PADfootBalck, SweetSage, alulateu, annie26100, hockey1, madgordon18, xomagooxo, Ms Waldo, DarkWitch121, c flor s 75, Kyrie Twilight,Sakura022496, Seraphina25, ahoyitsalyson, cw1718, latinadecorazon, 1998Ruby1998, JaleDM, keishasalder, mystuffff, HRB91, Instantstargirl, Rahena, Tommi1, bellatrixlestrangest, chinkie, greyc, jeevanbala23, lazylyz, BunnyLover66, GingersnapOO26, palephoenix, CrazyGal 7, J 44, Karkontrolyn, Sasha2121, NiceButNaughtyAngel, Tempestati, doddle, FgHatton, Padfoot's-Veela, alexagranger,merajaileena, ndavis77, smallwren, sparkyparky2, MusicalCatharsis, Liljackandpepsi, Mysterious Leigh, Tillyann19, kabg01, my darling ferocious105, and confusedblueberry.

Thanks, you guys!

~craaazyaboutMalfoy