Chapter 4

Running into Draco delayed her journey and altered her plans, but she did not mind. For the first time in a long time, she was happy. Draco was a wealth of knowledge and she regretted not meeting him earlier in her adventure. He began teaching her about the plants found in this area of the woods, which ones could be used for healing and which to avoid. She was able to put this knowledge to use and made a salve for her blisters. The skin was still raw, but the wounds no longer bled. It was a welcome relief.

"How did you come to be such an experienced traveler?"

He held back branches and she passed them without a single scratch. "My father's work involves a lot of traveling. Much of what I know was learned by others I encountered."

"It sounds like you had a very good childhood."

"Better than others, but it still presented its own challenges. What was yours like?"

Hermione struggled to catch up to his long limbs. "It was lonely. My father was away a lot. My mother tried to fill the void as best as she could. I played with other children, but I was always treated differently. Did you have a lot of friends?"

"I was a bit of a selfish child. I only had two close friends. Theo and Blaise, but I do not see them as often now," he said before laughing. "And Pansy would kill me if she found out she was an afterthought."

The conversation died after that. Hermione was not sure if it was the thought of having close friends that bothered her or the way he mentioned Pansy. She had assumed he was unmarried. She had reached a marriageable age herself - was considered to be older, as the ladies at court loved to remind her - and it was clear that Draco was a good catch. His wife was lucky. Since Hermione had met him, he had been nothing short of chivalrous. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that it was the fact that he grew up with close friends that bothered her.

The rest of the day passed with little conversation, but it was a relatively comfortable silence. It was not until they started their journey the next morning, that he initiated a conversation for the first time.

"What possessed a princess to run away from home?"

The question froze her and she almost tripped on a root but managed to recover. She did not answer immediately. Despite her growing trust, she was not ready to share such a personal revelation. Her heart pounded in her chest and she wondered what he would think of her if he discovered the true reason for her escape. But thankfully, Draco did not force her answer and they walked for another hour in silence before she decided to give him a partial answer. "I was never permitted to travel with my father and I wanted that experience."

"You do not seem the type to leave on a whim."

"That is a bold statement to make, you do not know me."

Draco rolled his eyes. "It is surprising, the amount that you can learn about someone when you travel with them."

Hermione resisted the urge to storm off, knowing that it would be childish. There was truth to his words and it bothered her that she was so easily read. It was easy to forget the outside world when she was with him. As the days passed, he started to consume her thoughts. Hermione started noticing the little things he did. The way that he put his arm in front of her when there was an unexpected noise. Or the way that he challenged her thoughts and ideas. No one else discussed things with Hermione, for fear of offending her. But she brushed off these thoughts every night, reminding herself that she didn't know Draco. It was the one thing that gave her comfort because nothing could come of this. Draco was married and Hermione would never be able to marry a merchant's son.

As if Draco knew the content of her thoughts, the rest of the day was spent sniping at each other. She was relieved when he slowed, her feet aching at the punishing pace he had set. The sooner they slept, the sooner they could set out tomorrow and they could part ways. It would be better that way.

"Let's stop here. We can clean ourselves up and set up camp for the night," Draco said as they came upon a river.

Hermione nodded, still irritated with the blond, and began to unpack their stuff. After spending several nights together, they quickly developed a system. She would get the fire started and Draco would see if he could catch anything. She was just reaching for Draco's flask when she heard a rustle behind her and Draco yelled.

"Get up!"

She turned around just in time to see a bear charging with two cubs in tow when the female pounded into her. Hermione went flying into the river and smashed her head against a rock. Blinking black spots out of her vision, panic began to set in. Swimming to the top of the river was harder than she expected and she felt her lungs burn in protest as she kicked her legs as hard as she could. Hermione fought the current and prayed that Draco was not hurt. He had to be okay. When she broke the surface of the water, she gasped in a breath and swam towards shore.

Fear drove her forward. She had read all about the dangers of wildlife when she was a child, terrified when her father went hunting with the knights. The average bear was not dangerous, but a mother would kill to protect her cubs. The river had dragged her away from their camp and she followed Draco's muffled cries, pushing her legs forward.

She had to save him.

As soon as she saw the bear, Hermione started yelling and made as much noise as she could. It stopped its huffing and rose up, before darting away, its cubs following. Hermione waited until the rustling became faint before turning to Draco. He was face down on the ground, groaning, and there was so much blood that she almost threw up. The only thing that prevented it was that he was losing blood fast and there could be no delay. His shirt was in tatters and she pulled it off him to get a better look at his injuries.

He had large gashes and puncture wounds all across his back and she suspected one of his arms was broken by the way it hung at an awkward angle. Faster than she thought possible, she began tearing his tunic into strips and wrapped it around the gashes. The puncture marks were barely bleeding, but she knew the possibility of infection was high. It was the gashes that concerned her the most. Turning him over with his assistance, she tended to the slashes on his front before returning to the ones on his back. She applied pressure to the wounds, her arms exhausted with the effort. Stopping the bleeding would not be enough. His eyes fluttered closed and she could not keep him awake. Hermione had never felt this powerless and tears streamed down her face as she tried to figure out what to do.

No. She would not let the man she had just begun to care about die and Draco needed her to be strong. She would not be a damsel in distress.

Grabbing wooden branches, she made a litter using the only supplies they had left. It took way longer than it should have with her lack of experience, but she finally got Draco on the litter. He was barely clinging on to consciousness and his lack of moans worried her. Grabbing their packs and putting it on Draco, she hoisted the litter up with a strength she did not realize she possessed. The closest town would be too far. Her head throbbed and she was not sure how far she could pull him, but she set out in the only direction there would be help.

Her father would kill her if he found out where she was going, but she no longer cared.

Hermione had to save him.