Draco Malfoy was having a really shitty afternoon. First, he got yelled at by Granger, then she had some kind of seizure and started bleeding everywhere, then the demented duo arrested him after giving him a few punches and kicks, and now he was sitting in the basement of the Ministry waiting to be transferred back to Azkaban. He'd tried to help her hadn't he? He'd told the stupid intern what had happened and the healers got there before she bled out completely. Hell, he'd even tried to stop the bleeding himself with his own hands, without magic, like a common muggle! And what had it gotten him? Tied to a chair like a common criminal. He looked around the small room he was sitting it. It looked a great deal like a broom closet that someone had stuck an uncomfortable metal chair in. Actually, knowing Weasel and Potty, that's exactly what it was. Draco sighed and shifted uncomfortably in the seat. The blood had begun to dry and was flaking off his shirt. Could this get any worse? Then suddenly he heard shouting outside of the door. A moment later the door flew open and he could see Blaise's angry face.
"Get him untied and out, NOW," Blaise shouted at someone. Some unknown Auror bustled in and immediately did what Blaise had asked. Draco stood, wincing from the pain of what was probably a broken rib or two, and limped out of the closet. He felt what was probably blood slide down his stomach. Blaise put his arm around Draco to support him and another person did the same. Draco looked and was shocked to see red hair.
"She-weasel?" Draco asked, certain he was hallucinating.
"Oh shut up ferret," she replied, giving him an elbow to the ribs.
Definitely she-weasel, he thought with a wince. Why the hell was she helping him?
They began to walk, with Draco leaning heavily on both of them. His head drooped down so when they stopped, he snapped it up to see why. Weasel and Potty were across from them, wands pointed at the trio.
"Where the bloody hell are you taking our prisoner?" Ron asked angrily. "He's going back to Azkaban where he belongs."
"No, he is not," Ginny said. "Blaise, take Malfoy a moment."
She slipped out from under Malfoy's arm and Blaise steadied Malfoy upright. "You're probably going to want to watch this," Blaise whispered.
Draco looked up to see Ginny with her own wand pointed at Harry and Ron. What the hell kind of alternate universe had he stepped in to?
"Malfoy is going to St. Mungo's," Ginny told them. "Do you want to know why he's going to St. Mungo's?"
"Ginny, lower your wand," Harry said cautiously, hands raised in surrender. The last thing he wanted was to further anger his already pissed off wife even if he had no idea why she was helping Malfoy. "Why is Malfoy going to St. Mungo's instead of Azkaban where we were ordered to take him?"
"Go find Kingsley," she replied, her wand still pointed at her brother and her husband. "Your orders changed when he found out that you were trying to put the man who saved your best friend's life in jail."
Draco looked at Blaise in shock. He'd saved Granger's life? Blaise nodded and whispered, "I'll explain later."
Draco nodded in response and return his attention to the argument in front of him.
"But he was covered in her blood Gin," Ron was saying. "You didn't see, she was hurt and he did it."
"Because he held his hands over her head wound so she wouldn't bleed to death you great git," Ginny shouted. "Did you even bother to find out what happened before you arrested him?"
"We, er, we thought we knew what happened," Harry said. "We didn't exactly believe Malfoy when he said he'd tried to help her."
"Well now you can believe me," Ginny told them, lowering her wand. "Hermione sent me straight to Blaise's office the minute she found out you two had arrested Malfoy. She's going to be fine, by the way, not that either of you bothered to ask."
Harry and Ron lowered their heads in shame and Draco watched with fascination and both grown men caved to the tiny red head. "We're sorry Gin," Ron said.
"Don't apologize to me," Ginny said. "Apologize to him."
Draco realized she was pointing at him. There was no way in hell they'd apologize to him, he thought. Not even for her.
"Gin, you can't be serious," Harry said. "He's, he's...Malfoy."
"And he's the reason Hermione is alive," Ginny snapped. "So you can apologize AND say thank you."
Both Ron and Harry looked at Ginny and when she went to raise her wand, both quickly mumbled, "Sorry Malfoy, uh, thanks."
Malfoy nodded tersely. He would have made a comment about them being wimps but he was in too much pain. He could feel the blood sliding down his body and through his shirt.
"Let's get you to St. Mungo's," Blaise said, shifting Draco so he was leaning more sturdily against him.
Ginny slipped back under Malfoy's arm and helped Blaise get him to fireplaces. Together the three of them flooed to St. Mungo's. They landed in the waiting area and Draco groaned from the impact.
"I've got him," Blaise said. "You go check on Hermione."
"Are you sure?" Ginny asked. "I can at least help you get him to a room."
"Just go, Weasley," Malfoy said. "And, uh, thanks, I guess."
"You used my name," Ginny said looking at him in shock. "And said thank you. You must really be out of it."
Malfoy half laughed and replied, "Don't get used to it. The pain is talking, not me."
With a laugh, Blaise helped Draco to the main desk where he was quickly whisked away by two healers whom apparently had been waiting for him on Hermione's orders.
Ginny hurried to Hermione's room and found her awake and playing with James.
"Is Malfoy alright?" she asked as soon as Ginny stepped in the room.
"I don't think so," Ginny replied and Hermione looked stricken. "He called me Weasley and told me thank you."
Hermione laughed at her friend's surprised face. "Is he hurt?" she wanted to know.
"Yes," Ginny told her honestly. "But he's here now, Blaise took him up to the desk and two healers grabbed him the minute they heard Malfoy."
"Good," Hermione said. "I'm going to have to have a talk with Ron and Harry."
"No need," Ginny said and cheerfully recounted everything that happened to Hermione.
"You're amazing Gin," Hermione said with a smile. "They actually apologized?"
"They did," she confirmed. "Now, you get some rest. I'm going to take my son and we're going to go have a nice relaxing evening. I haven't had this much excitement since the final battle."
Hermione and Ginny embraced and Ginny and James left. Alone, Hermione pondered everything that had happened that day. Whether he meant to or not, Draco Malfoy had saved her life. Maybe Luna was right, she thought with a smile, as she laid down in the hospital bed, maybe there was some good in Draco Malfoy. Hermione fell asleep with a smile on her face.
As Hermione fell asleep, three doors down the hall, the healers had just finished healing Draco and he'd been cleared to go home. Blaise helped him out of the hospital bed and looked at him.
"You look like hell."
"Yeah well, we can't all be pretty like you after a day like today now can we?" Malfoy replied.
"Sure, sure," Blaise replied. "Come on, let's get you home."
They left St. Mungo's and flooed back to the Manor. Draco headed straight for the shower and Blaise went in to the kitchens to find food. Draco stripped down and got in the shower. As the hot water poured over him, he realized that he had cuts and a gash on his stomach that were bloody. He could also see the faint marks where Hermione's blood had soaked through his shirt and onto his skin. He watched at the blood washed away and rolled down the drain, his blood mixed with hers, and he was struck by a thought that made him stagger. He couldn't tell whose blood was whose. He began to scrub at his skin, trying to get her blood...his blood...their blood off his body. But it was the same. It was exactly the same. They both bled. Like there wasn't a difference between them at all.
No, Draco thought, pushing the thoughts violently from his mind. Even if their blood looked the same, it clearly wasn't. Even if the magic ran through both their veins, it obviously wasn't the same. It couldn't be the same. Frustrated he turned off the water and got out of the shower. He grabbed a towel from the rack above the toilet and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked different he realized. Less...harsh, but more tired. Was he changing? Deciding he'd had enough life revelations for one day, he threw on a pair of pants and walked into the kitchen where Blaise had a drink waiting for him. He sat down at the table and they sipped their drinks in silence.
"What made you give up what you believe in?" Draco asked, avoiding looking directly at Blaise. "Give up what we spend our entire lives being taught was true?"
Blaise looked surprised by the question and took a moment to think before responding.
"I guess meeting Gina was the push over the edge, you know?" he said. "But before I met her, I'd already started to change. Blood status was always important to my family but we never thought that Muggles and Muggleborns should be killed. That's why we stayed neutral during the war. We didn't really agree with either side. But after the war, everyone was so affected by it. Pureblood, Muggleborn, half Muggleborn, whatever, everyone was dealing with death, and loss and all of a sudden, it didn't matter anymore. We all ended up the same amount of fucked up, winning side or losing."
The lapsed back into silence as Draco thought about what Blaise had said. This time though, Blaise broke the silence.
"Are you having doubts?"
"No," Draco replied quickly. "Just trying to learn what the other side thinks like so I can trick Granger into thinking I'm 'reformed'."
Blaise stared at Draco and Draco stared at his glass. Blaise sat back, raised his glass to his lips, but lowered it to say, "if you have any more questions about how 'the other side' thinks, let me know."
Draco finished his drink in response and stood. "I'm going to bed. You can see yourself out," he said and walked out of the kitchen. Blaise sat for another moment, thinking about what Draco had said. Blaise had honestly thought Luna had gone off the deep end when she pronounced Draco ready for the final phase of rehabilitation but now he wasn't so sure. Maybe Luna saw something in Draco the rest of them had missed, that even Draco himself had missed. Blaise rose from the table and made his way through the Manor and out the front door. He walked to the disapparation point and apparated home, anxious to see his wife and tell her about Draco's questions.
A/N: I've gotten some really awesome reviews, it means so much to me that people are reading and enjoying the story! :)