Let Me Help You
DracoxHermione
Rated NC-17
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling
Let Me Help You
Chapter 15
A few days had passed since Hermione had spent the night with Draco in the Founder's secret room, and she had to admit that she was much more upbeat ever since then. She still smiled and blushed whenever she thought of waking up that morning in the blond's arms and taking in his chiseled features while he still slept, how his blond lashes seemed to fall easily onto his pale cheeks. He had looked so peaceful sleeping, as if none of the expectations and responsibilities that were weighing him ever existed. She wished he could be like that all of the time.
Not only had she been able to wake up in Draco's arms, but she also had been able to meet up with him to spend time together outside of classes. They mostly cuddled together and talked, would even kiss some. However their small kisses would turn into make out sessions and would leave them feeling breathless and flustered. The last time they had been together they had had another make out session, and somehow that had lead to them feeling each other up. Draco's hands had drifted underneath her uniform shirt and sweater and up her back, causing her to shiver and push up against him. Hermione herself had run her hands all into her boyfriend's hair in an effort to bring him closer to her. Her hands had then taken themselves down to the blond's belt, prompting Draco to stop her and their intense kissing. When her mind finally caught up to what she had just tried to do, Hermione had blushed furiously and tried to hide behind her hair. Draco had chuckled and told her that it was alright, but that they should wait before even so much as venturing in that direction of their relationship. Needless to say, they kept their meet ups as innocent as possible, though they both knew that their relationship was getting stronger with each passing day and their feelings for each other were growing more and more.
Hermione at the moment was walking down the stairs from the Sixth Year Girls Dormitory into the Gryffindor Common Room to get ready to head to breakfast. She wanted to get a quick bite to eat while reading ahead for Herbology before attending the class later that day. Just as soon as she was about to head out of the Common Room, the entrance opened and Ginny came running in with a frantic look on her face.
Alarmed Hermione asked, "Ginny, what's the matter?"
Ginny took a few deep breaths before saying, "It's Ron; he's in the Hospital Wing!"
Hermione's brown eyes widened at the news before she took off after Ginny in a run, both of them headed for the Hospital Wing. It wasn't too long before they reached the large makeshift hospital and burst into the room. Harry looked up from the seat he was in next to the bed his friend was lying unconscious in and said, "Hermione, Ginny."
"Harry, what happened?" Ginny asked as she made her way over towards her brother, worry present in her face.
"Will Ron be alright?" Hermione asked as she went to stand next to Harry.
Before Harry could answer either question, Madame Pompfrey walked in from her office over to them, followed by Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Slughorn, and Professor Snape. Once they all reached the bed where Ron was Professor McGonagall spoke and said, "Madame Prompfrey has already filled us in about Mr. Weasley's situation. Even so, we would like to hear how he was poisoned from you, Mr. Potter."
"Poisoned?!" Hermione couldn't help but gasp out in shock.
Ginny looked at Harry and asked, "How?"
Harry cleared his throat a bit before explaining the events of the night before, about how he had taken Ron to get an antidote for the Love Potion he had ingested from the chocolates that Romilda Vane had made for him. He then went on to explain that after Ron was cured, Slughorn had offered him a drink since his seventeenth birthday had recently passed and he was now legal. However he hadn't known the drink was poisonous until Ron had drank it and almost died. If it hadn't been for his fast thinking and shoving a bezoar stone down his throat, he would have. Professor Dumbledore then turned to Slughorn and asked him how he acquired such a bottle, to which the Potions professor replied that it had been on his desk the night of his Chirstmas party. He told the Headmaster that the bottle was intended for him and that he meant to give it to him soon, but figured it wouldn't hurt to open it and take a few drinks.
Hearing that the bottle had shown up on the night of Professor Slughorn's Christmas party and was intended for Professor Dumbledore made Hermione emit a silent gasp. Draco had been lurking around during the party until he was caught by Mr. Filch. Had he been planting the bottle so as to kill Dumbledore like he was supposed to? Brown eyes met the black ones of Professor Snape and Hermione knew the truth, that it had been Draco. And just knowing this caused her heart to hurt in her chest.
Harry had seen the distraught look on the brunette's face and he moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close as he said, "Don't worry, Hermione. Ron will be fine, you'll see."
"Yeah," Hermione rasped out. Pulling away from Harry she said, "Excuse me, I need a moment alone."
She didn't wait to hear anyone's reply, she just quickly left the Hospital Wing and made her way down the corridor a ways before stopping. Leaning against the wall she covered her face with her hands. She had almost forgotten that Draco had to kill Dumbledore in order to save his mother. She didn't want to believe it, but she also knew it was impossible for it to not have been him. Just like before with Katie Bell and the cursed necklace, Ron was another innocent, unintended victim of the plans Draco was doing by order of You-Know-Who. She needed to find him; she needed to talk to her boyfriend.
Taking out her wand Hermione said, "Point me to Draco Malfoy."
Her wand lifted from her hand and spun around a bit before pointing in a certain direction, slowly floating away from her on its way to the person it was to find. Hermione followed her wand all the way up to the Astronomy Tower before it drifted back down to her hand. Putting her wand away she walked over to where her boyfriend was leaning against the railing and overlooking the school grounds. Stopping short of him she said, "Draco, tell me the truth."
Draco, started by his girlfriend's sudden appearance, looked at her and asked with a bemused smile, "About what?"
"Ron is in the hospital because he was poisoned. He was poisoned out of a bottle that Professor Slughorn had. Slughorn said that he bottle appeared the night of the Chirstmas party. Draco, did you plant that bottle?"
The blond stopped smiling and his expression took on a slightly guilty one, giving the brunette her answer. Hermione stepped closer to Draco and said, "Draco, Ron was poisoned. He almost died because he drank that stuff."
"I know that, Hermione. That was the point of the poison, to begin killing the person that drinks it. I didn't expect for Weaslebee to drink it."
"Draco!"
"It was for the old man, Hermione! I didn't even know Slughorn was still holding onto it. I thought he had given it to Dumbledore by now."
"But he was and he opened it, offering some to Harry and Ron. Draco, this is becoming too dangerous. People are getting hurt."
"You think I don't know that, Hermione? Of course I do! I know people are getting caught in the crossfire of my attempts at killing Dumbledore. But I can't help that! I'm just trying to get my task done for my mother's sake and I don't have to constantly look over my shoulder. This is hard for me, Hermione; I thought you knew that and understood."
"I do, Draco. I understand that you don't have much of a choice right now, but you can't keep hurting people that aren't involved. It's beginning to get messy and Harry is already more than suspicious of you."
Draco sighed and sat down, holding his head in his hands. Hermione moved to sit next to him before linking her arm with him. Looking at him she said softly, "I'm here for you, Draco, and I want to help you. Let me know how and I will. Just promise me that no one else will get hurt."
The blond boy sighed and leant his head against the brunette's and answered, "Just continue to stay by my side, please. I know you don't agree with what it is that I'm doing, but just knowing that you are here for me is enough."
Hermione nodded and gave the pale cheek in front of her a kiss before leaning her head against Draco's shoulder. The two of them sat there in silence, both of them lost in thought about their situation. The only thing Hermione could hope for at the moment was that nothing really bad would happen to Draco due to his task, especially now. She cared about him way too much to lose him to something like this. She only hoped that everything would solve itself out first. Things were becoming too dangerous now for it all to just be ignored and even though she couldn't explain it, she felt that time was running out. And Draco too was thinking that his time to complete his task was quickly running out.