A/N: Hello everyone. Yes, I know I have no excuses for being so tardy and for such a short chapter. But please review anyways! I've been really busy with school and stuff... but I suppose that's not an excuse. March is going to be a difficult month to update in but everything after that should go great. I plan to finish this story by the end of summer. We'll see how that goes.

This chapter is really just filler. I've been having writers block... Let me know how you like it please and thank you! I update faster when people review... last chapter was so sad. NO ONE said ANYTHING.

Chapter 15: Explanations

Hermione:

First, there was complete disorientation. My eyes, tired and not used to the light of the room began to adjust first. I was groggy, in shock and more than a little bit shaken from being so abruptly thrust from... the world I'd spent however many days in. It was a curious thing that my mind could cope with it at all.

But then, the sensations of being in a body hit me with full force as I was grounded and anything worth note in my mind was pushed back. I couldn't think. First my body was placed in a measure of pain I'd never experienced. I'd been wholly unprepared. Then, as I attempted to groan out for help, or perhaps move to safety, I found myself only being able to croak – my throat being dry and my voice thoroughly disused.

I'd never been gladder that Draco was a light sleeper.

He woke with a start and stared at me with what I suspected were tears in his eyes. I couldn't be sure, being in so much pain. He called for a mediwitch and then stared at me, holding my hand while they went about their business.

At one point I vaguely remember them asking him to leave but he vehemently refused, ignoring them. But I was beyond caring for privacy as they removed my hospital clothes to examine the wounds. He just sat there, staring at me. Happy that I was alive? It made me forget the pain a little, glad that I was alive and that I had someone like Draco.

But was I really? It had been a wonderful world to be in... and there was a Draco there too. How had he gotten there in the first place? I'd have to ask this Draco, yes... but first, I'd have to find a way back, yes and-

"Hermione?"

His voice jolted me straight out of my thoughts and guild swept over me. "Yes," I responded back.

"Never do this to me again! I was so worried..." He leaned over me, pressing his lips to my forehead and suddenly I felt even guiltier but pleased that someone gave a damn.

"We all were," came a voice. Draco and I looked up to see Harry and a few of the Weasley's standing in the doorway, watching us.

"You know me, I'm fine," I said. "Just a little scratch." Harry grinned at me and I grinned back, albeit a little weakly, because the effort of even that small an action was painful.

"How are you holding up, dear?" came Mrs. Weasley's voice from amongst the many red heads. She pushed her way through her children and looked at me with tears in her eyes. My heart literally clenched, the poor woman.

"I'll be fine, really. It was just a little fall... What day is it?" I felt Draco's hand squeeze mine gently.

"You've been out for four days," I heard Harry say from behind George and Bill, where he had been pushed. "And you smell terrible."

Everyone laughed. Thank Harry for melting an awkward situation. He had been right of course, I was beginning to smell my own odour and...Potions, maybe?

A realization came over me at that moment. "Where's Ron? I'm going to kill that..." Everyone felt dead silent and Draco's grip went a little slack. I looked at him and at the rest of them. "What?"

"I brought you some fresh clothes and Draco too," Mrs. Weasley said, breaking the silence. She had a pained look on her face. I was instantly confused. She handed the bag to Draco and smoothed back his hair in such a sweet fashion that made me suspicious. "You really ought to go and get some rest dear, now that we know Hermione's will be fine." She smiled at me. "Now, you lot, let the poor girl rest, off we go, much to get done today!"

And with that, she made the Weasleys march out of my hospital room. Ginny stopped to whisper something in Harry's ear. He nodded, frowning and kissed her cheek quickly. She glanced over at me once more, smiled sadly and waved before she ran off after her family. I glanced at Harry curiously, who was leaning against the door and then at Draco, who was staring at our hands that were still joined together.

"What? What are you two not telling me?" They shared a look and my suspicions were confirmed. "What did you do?"

Harry sighed and came to sit next to me. "Ron is...gone, Hermione."

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

Draco cleared his throat and stared at me, unblinkingly, with his pretty grey eyes... for a moment I was too distracted, but what Harry said next shook me right back to reality. "When he threw you down the stairs, you crashed into that crate of potions I told you about... you were hurt really badly. Draco filed for Magical Restraint."

I stared between them, surprised. To apply for a magical restraining order... that would not have gone well for Ron. He would never be able to come near me if I didn't want him to, never write to me... no more angry insults..."Well, what happened?"

"I won the case, of course," Draco replied, when Harry failed to say anything.

"So...what are you not telling me?" It was obvious that they were keeping things from me. I could see it written clearly on Harry's face. "Harry?"

"You should rest. I have to go see if everyone's doing okay...I'll see you, Hermione. Feel better." And with that, the coward ran for it. I couldn't even call after him as I was in too much pain.

"Draco?"

"Mm?" He didn't look up at me. Instead, he chose to trace patterns onto the back of my hand, absently...as if he were too deep in thought to care for much else.

"What did you do?"

"I told you, I took him to court."

"And?" I stared at him impatiently, hoping for the best.

"He went to Azkaban for assaulting me at the New Year's party and assaulting you at Harry's house. I suppose he lost his job as a consequence of that..." He finally looked up at me and stroked my cheek, gently, as if he were afraid I'd break. "I was worried about you."

"Draco... you... Ron is still my friend! You just... you ruined his life..."

Draco had ostracized a member of the Weasley clan and the rest of the Weasley's were okay with it? How had Mrs. Weasley even looked me in the eye? Guilt started to wash over me. "Why would you do that, Draco? You have to do something. Mrs. Weasley must be devastated..."

"Harry is the one who testified against him," he said, cutting off all my rambling thoughts. Harry? Testifying against Ron Weasley? His best fucking friend!

"Why?" I asked, not understanding anything at all that was going on. It was surreal... it couldn't possibly be real at all. Maybe I was still dreaming... "You have to do something, you have to get him out of Azkaban. His family is going to-"

"He tried to kill you, Hermione. He tried to kill me. He nearly ruined me... Imagine if you had died! Why can't you understand how much you mean to everyone? To me?" I'd never seen him look so intense. My heart beat sped up and as he leaned forward to rest his forehead against mine, I felt my vision falter. "I'm taking you home," he whispered quietly, as the nurse walked in. He leaned back again, still retaining the grip he had of my hand. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you again."

The nurse began to administer the regular potions and before I knew it I was sinking into a dreamless sleep, not having the chance to protest against anything he'd said.

That wasn't so strange. After all, what Draco wants, Draco gets.

The Next Day: January 11th

When my eyes began to open, I immediately groaned and shifted my arm over my eyes, wishing I had had the forethought to not wake up today. When my eyes finally adjusted to the light I found that my body wasn't aching nearly as bad as I thought it would and I didn't have a headache. Not at all. Perhaps today wouldn't be such a bad day after all.

I gingerly sat up in bed, taking in the surroundings of my hospital room. The walls were a light tranquil peach colour, the sheets on the rickety bed were white and the clothes I was wearing smelled fresh. In fact, I felt scrubbed clean. They must have taken care of me while I was out.

I lifted my shirt to see the multitude of bandages wrapped around my torso where the potion must have been spilled. I'd have to ask the doctors what that would mean for me. Would I be horridly scarred for the rest of my life? Son of a bitch...

Maybe he did deserve what he'd gotten.

Shaking that thought from my head, I looked for Draco and found him right where he'd been yesterday awkwardly trying to curl up his long limbs in the too small chair, sleeping. His mouth was slightly open and he was mumbling to himself quietly in his sleep. I reached for him and he immediately jerked awake, eyes wild, hair sticking up oddly in places. It made me giggle.

"Come here," I called to him, tugging at the sleeve I'd managed to capture. When he finally realized what was going on, he acquiesced and slid under my covers gently, making sure he didn't hurt me. I sighed contentedly when he put his arms around me and pressed his head into my neck.

"You're so warm," he muttered, pulling me even closer. "Soft."

He fanned my hair out over the pillow and gently kissed the side of my neck several times. "Your hands are cold," I complained. When he pressed them to my bare thighs I laughed a little more, then groaned in pain, as it felt as if I'd been stabbed in the stomach.

"I'm going to take you home," he whispered sleepily, promising again. "I'll take care of you."

His eyes fluttered shut and my heart leapt. I knew I'd already forgiven him for what he'd done to Ron, for who can be mad at a face so angelic? I pushed his hair back, over his forehead to kiss the skin. His slips turned up in a small smile so I did it again, kissing his cheeks, the tip of his nose, his jaw.

When I'd let him settle back again against the back of my neck, to sleep I realized I'd missed him here, just like that. The poor man probably hadn't slept in a bed for days... The knowledge made me grasp his hand. His breathing evened out and I supposed he'd fallen asleep.

Before I could sink into sleep again, myself, I heard him sigh again. "I love you," he said, whispering almost. "Don't leave me again."

"I won't," I said back, almost to myself more than him.

It dawned on me that this was the first time he'd said that to me and I wanted to gush like a teenage girl. I grinned anyways, glad that he couldn't see the ecstatic look on my face. I hadn't lied, I wouldn't ever leave him. Not if I had anything to do with it.

Just for that moment I forgot all about the prophecy, the other world I'd spent so much time in, Ron and his family, Harry and even that I was hurt. I just lay there in the arms of my now official boyfriend, not caring that I was too old to be acting this way and definitely just enjoying the fact that he wanted to hold me.

I was happy and I didn't care that it wouldn't last.

A/N: This length isn't too bad is it? What would you like, longer chapters or is this length fine?