Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters (I do own Sebastian Corax)
I Want to Know You
Chapter 6
Monday
The small arm that draped over her midsection made Hermione turn to the sleeping body next to her. Quickly the events from last night came into focus as she touched the back of her head gingerly and winced as a tiny jolt of pain shot through her. Ginny stirred and tightened her grip on Hermione. Hermione turned to her smiling
"Gin, wake up its three in the morning we need to get back home."
Ginny sat up rubbing her eyes as Hermione's smiling face came into focus.
"How's your head?" Ginny asked
"It's sore"
"Let me see" Ginny tiled Hermione's head to look at the gash "Still closed and no bleeding it'll hurt for a day or so…do you have a headache or nausea or dizziness?"
"Nope"
"Then I guess your ok…we should get home" Ginny got up and Hermione followed, or tired to as soon as she stood up she got dizzy and fell back onto Ginny who caught her. "Oy maybe you're not ok but lets apparate home I have potions there for this, hold on"
With a pop they were back at the new house. Ginny carried Hermione to her room and placed her on the bed. Hermione's eyes opened
"My room, I swore I was at the Burrow"
"We were, just lay there I have a potion for you" Ginny went to her own bathroom and rooted through boxes until she found the potion she was looking for. Hermione propped herself up on her pillows as Ginny came in
"Here this will clear your head, I'll call Draco and tell him you're still under the weather" Ginny said
"Thanks Ginny but I really have to go in."
"How did I know you were gonna say that?" Ginny asked with a grin
Hermione got up and went into her shower; the water was drowning out the loud protests from Ginny. When Hermione emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a towel Ginny stopped talking and moved to the door to leave the room she was almost free when she hears Hermione call to her.
"Ginny" Hermione called out stopping the redhead she turns to look at Hermione "Thanks for last night, it was the best nights sleep I've had in a while"
"Anytime" Ginny left closing the door behind her
Hermione got herself dressed despite Ginny's argument. She called Draco, he told her to stay home as well and after another argument Draco told her that he would meet her in her office at nine that morning.
Hermione flooed to Malfoy Industries and took the elevator to her office. When she walked in she was stunned and before she could fully register what she was seeing the door slammed closed behind her. Before she had the chance to turn around to see who shut the door she was shoved roughly to the floor falling forward on her hands and knees. When she tried to get up she was grabbed by the back of her hair and thrown hard into the corner of her oak desk hitting her temple in the process, her wand was drawn but soon knocked out of her hand, she was yanked to her feet only to find herself looking into the furious eyes of Ron Weasley.
"Ronald, let go of me, what are you doing here? What have you done to my office?" she asked in shock. Ron places a silencing charm on the room before speaking in a menacing tone
"Oh I'm sorry honey….thought you might like some pictures for your new office and don't you recognize your owl?" Ron replied with sarcasm dripping from every word
As Hermione looked around the office she saw large nude photos of her plastered all around the walls, dozens of them, and when the blood and feathers became clearer she began to cry and sink to her knees but Ron lifted her up, he smiled and slapped her hard across the face.
"I told you I would hunt down that bloody bird" he spat at her, another slap and she was knocked flat on her back as she tried to crawl toward the door. Ron kicked her in the ribs as she drew a breath sharply she knew at least two of them were broken. As Hermione curled into the fetal position trying to protect herself Ron stood over her and kicked her hard in the back as Hermione let out a grunt. She was viciously dragged to her feet, Ron had a firm grip on the back of her head and he slammed her face first into the wall of the office a few times breaking her nose on the third or fourth try.
He pushed her back against the wall and she let out a whimper of pain as he pinned both her wrists above her head with one of his hands.
"Why are you doing this?" Hermione whispered
"Because I love you, Merlin knows no one else does"
Ron produced a dagger from his pocket and Hermione's eyes widened in fear
"And when I'm done with you, no one will ever want you"
Ron wrestled her down to the floor shoving her face into the carpet. He ripped her shirt off of her pinning her arms with the tangled material. Once she was bound he slowly carved 'Ronald' into her back between her shoulder blades. The carpet muffled her screams as she struggles under him. He ripped off her panties and skirt and undid his pants while he positioned himself at her ass. She could feel the blood from the cuts seeping warm down her back.
He felt around her hole with his finger. He leans over her to whisper in her ear "You're not even wet, but don't worry sweetie we can fix that." He ran he palm over the fresh cuts and lubricated his dick with her blood before adding his spit to it "There, that should do it"
Hermione cried out in anguish as Ron entered her from behind, she felt as though she'd been ripped in half. Ron kept pumping into her back and fourth several times before he came in her ass. He flipped her over onto her back, she cried out in pain as she landed on the fresh, bleeding cuts. Ron was on her straddling her midsection pinning her down. "Now you my love, are gonna quit this job, marry me and forget all about this bird and your little girlfriend…" Hermione's eyes widened in shock "oh yes I heard…everyone's talking about it, thanks to Harry's investigation they're all laughing at me behind my back and we can't have that. We can't have you leaving me for a girl." Ron leans in and kisses her hard.
"Ron, stop Pl...Pl...Please" Hermione's voice pleaded as best she could with her swollen jaw. Ron's response to her pleas was a hard punch to the face she watched terrified as he maneuvered himself at her entrance.
Draco opened the door to Hermione's office just in time to hear Ron cast the imperious curse on a bruised and bloodied Hermione. Draco didn't even have time to draw his wand before he kicked Ron in the face sending him across the room. Ron was back at Draco's throat in an instant and the two exchanged punches. Ron knocked Draco half way across the room but Draco was on him in a flash and had him in a body bind taking his wand. Draco ran to the doorway and told his security team to send for Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley immediately.
Draco removed the imperious curse from Hermione who was breathing heavily; he removed his cloak and covered her exposed parts as best he could with it. He cradled her head in his lap afraid to move her too much Hermione eyes opened as she reached for him and he took her hand. Stroking her hair gently she flinched at his touch, Draco leaned over and whispered
"Shh luv, don't move Weasel is bound and I sent for Harry and Ginny…you're ok…I'm here with you and you're safe, I'm not moving till they get here." Draco's voice soothed her and her breathing slowed in time with his own her eyes fluttered and then closed.
Ginny Weasley came through the door to the office and instantly ran to Draco and Hermione pulling out her wand to check Hermione's vital signs
"She's stable…my god what happened?" Ginny asked as she has a better look around
"Your brother did this" Draco shrugs his head toward the corner where Ron is still bound with his pants around his ankles "I didn't move her get her to St Mungo's I'm gonna wait here for Harry." Ginny nodded as she and Draco lifted Hermione into Ginny's arms
"What's all the…" Ginny began to notice the condition of the office
"Ron killed Strix" Draco said with a solemn tone
"Oh Merlin"
Draco patted her back and with a pop they were gone. Draco pulled Hermione's chair around from her desk noticing the red envelope, he tucked it in his pocket. He rolled the chair in front of Ron and Draco sat there tapping his wand on his leg. Draco rolled the chair back and fourth in between Ron's open legs coming dangerously close to running over his dick and balls. Ron could only whimper
"Now we'll just wait for Potter, and if Hermione doesn't press charges you can bet Malfoy Industries will." Draco said with a smirk
About fifteen minutes went by before Harry Potter came through the office door breathless
"Sorry, I was on a case and….." he looks around "what the hell happened?"
Draco explained what went on from the point he came in and told Harry he would press charges. Harry cast a spell on Ron's wand and confirmed the use of the Imperious Curse much to his disappointment. Harry sent a team of Aurors to St. Mungo's to get Ginny's report on Hermione's injuries and another team to document and photograph the office. Harry took Ron to the Ministry where he was remanded to Azkaban awaiting trial.
After the Aurors left Draco called in his own crew to clean the office which will now be used as a file room. Draco had all of Hermione's things moved to an office closer to his own. Once he arrived at St. Mungo's Ginny was sipping a tea waiting for him. Draco arranged to take care of all of Hermione's medical expenses and when he was done with the mountain of forms Ginny took him to Hermione's room. On the way down the corridor Draco explained what happened when Harry arrived and where Ron was.
When they got to Hermione's bed she was sleeping. Draco took her hand in his
"Well she had three broken ribs which caused some internal bleeding, a broken nose, and two black eyes." Ginny wipes her eyes "a concussion, a bruised back, sexual violation, and a busted knee. We managed to fix all that…but…but I can't remove the scars on her back" Ginny's voice failed her
"Scars?" Draco asked extending his hand to hers
Ginny took a deep breath "Ron…carved his name in her back and I healed them but I can't make them go away…I hope he's locked up forever."
A strange expression washed over Draco's face at Ginny's description of the scars.
Draco let go of Hermione and embraced Ginny as she began to cry harder. "I can't forgive him Draco, not for this he broke Hermione. I should have been honest with her and got her away from him…I shouldn't have wasted time with all this letter nonsense. This is all my fault"
"Don't do this luv, don't blame yourself…it will eat at you" Draco tried to sooth her
"He's right Gin" Harry walked into the room and looked down at Hermione then back at Draco and Ginny "This isn't your fault, Ron is an adult and he made very bad choices."
"She should rest, we should go" Ginny suggested as she wiped her eyes
"Oh here this was in her office" Draco handed Ginny the red envelope.
As Ginny took the envelope from Draco her head hung low on her shoulders. Harry and Draco both put their arms around her
"When she wakes up Gin just have a talk with her…she'll understand. Why don't you come for dinner tonight…You too Draco" asked Harry
"Thanks Harry but I'm working a double and I want to be her when she does wake up. Did you tell mom and dad what happened?" Ginny sighed
"Yeah, your mother cried and Arthur was so …disappointed…"
"What will happen to Ron?" Ginny could barley get the words out as she looked up at him
"I don't know…he used and unforgivable curse, he could get the dementor's kiss" Harry said
Ginny shuddered "Isn't there something…do you think either of you could do anything? That would just kill mom and dad." Ginny was sobbing
"Ginny, I realize he's your brother and you love him but I don't know that Harry or I could persuade the Ministry." He looked at the broken girl in front of him and looked at Harry with a sigh "but we'll try…I promise you we will try" Draco assured her "I have to go, if she needs anything just charge it to me." He hugs Ginny and with a crack he's gone.
"I have to go too Gin, but really this is not your fault…try to remember that." Said Harry
When Ginny was done with her rounds she changed and made her way back to Hermione's room where she was happy and surprised to see Luna at her bedside reading the Quibbler out loud.
"Hey Luna, any change?" Ginny asked trying to sound positive
"She's been stirring but she hasn't woken up." Luna motioned for Ginny to come closer "but don't worry…she will, come sit with me Gin."
Ginny takes a chair and moves it next to Luna's. Luna takes Ginny's hand in hers and looks at her straight in the eyes.
"Ginny, Harry filled me in on all this letter business…well the parts I didn't figure out, and there is something we need to talk about. Something I've never told anyone." The seriousness of Luna's tone caught Ginny by surprised and made her very curious
"Ok Luna, you have my attention" Ginny said
"Back when we were at Hogwarts, Hermione and I became ….very …intimate" A pang of jealousy perked up in Ginny but she kept quiet as Luna continued "Once she got accustomed to my …quirkiness she realized my intelligence rivaled her own and we dated briefly."
Ginny couldn't control herself "I didn't know that." Ginny managed to sound casual
"It was very brief, but not very physical; it was more intellectual, we had very open and deep discussions about everything and anything….but mostly about you."
"Me? Why me?"
"Hermione loved you then…she told me, course I knew before she said anything, but the point is she STILL loves you. The day we broke up I told her to go to you and tell you because I knew you felt the same way.
"Why didn't she?" Ginny said with a touch of anger
"Why didn't you? Luna bit back
"…if it didn't work out…if I destroyed the friendship…I could never live my life without her in it." Ginny's eyes welled with tears as Luna pulled her into a hug. After a minute or two Ginny looked up at Luna with a new realization on her face "she felt the same…didn't she?"
"Yes she did, loosing your friendship was something she would never risk"
"Why be with Ron? He was so wrong; he hurt her so much…"
"I suspect he's been hurting more then we knew. Everyone has different needs…some people can go through life without ever loving another person; other people can't exist without being loved. Hermione needs love, all her intelligence and logic can't replace that. She is a sensitive creature with no idea how her emotions work. with her intelligence she is decades ahead of the average person but with her emotions she's still a teenager in some ways So when she couldn't be with the woman she loved, she settled for the one person who loved her." Luna stated
"That doesn't make me feel any less guilty"
"It's not supposed to" Luna's brutal honesty shinning through
"I guess not, if I was any kind of a friend I would have done something sooner….if I wasn't such a spinless coward none of this would have happened"
"Ginny, no one who knows you could ever accuse you of being a coward and this thing with Ron...it would have happened…it's the way Ron is. You can spend your time dwelling on the past and things you can't change but the guilt you feel won't help you or her. The question you need to ask yourself is 'what do you do with the information?' and take the appropriate steps." Luna concluded her speech with a fierce hug for Ginny. When Ginny broke the hug Luna stood up to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Home, you have a lot to think about. I'll be here if you need me. Trust yourself and trust Hermione above all trust your hearts" Luna leaves the room and Ginny sits back down t Hermione's side, takes her hand in hers and lays her head down on the bed entwining their fingers.