A/N: Lots of thanks to StacPolly for her thorough and extremely invaluable critique of the story. :)
"Where's Draco?" Narcissa Malfoy asked the moment she opened the door to see Hermione standing there alone. "Has something happened to him? Is he alright? What happened?" she fired one question after the other.
Hermione ignored the fact that the woman hadn't invited her in and walked past her into the house.
"Answer me!" Narcissa ordered impatiently.
"He's alright..I guess. I can't be sure, that's why I'm here.." Hermione mumbeled. She cursed herself for not phrasing her words in a more diplomatic way when she saw the look of horror on Narcissa's face.
"Is he..is he..de..is he still alive?" Narcissa stammered.
"Yes!" Hermione confirmed quickly. At least I hope so, she thought grimly. "He was just...injured during the battle. Everything else went fine, though." Hermione recounted.
"Everything else can go to hell!" Narcissa hissed, her poise evaporating into thin air. "Who did what to him?" she demanded.
"Well..as I said, his back was injured. It's a cut but I don't know how deep it went. Neither can we tell exactly who did it, curses were flying everywhere from every wand." Hermione lied through her teeth.
"You're obviously lying on both accounts." Narcissa Malfoy twisted her mouth at Hermione in disapproval. "But I don't have time to extract the truth from you. I need to see Draco." she decided, looking around her frantically, searching for her wand.
"I know, that's why I'm here. I'll come with you." Hermione said.
"I don't think that would be necessary." Narcissa dismissed.
"Well, you can't just apparate to his room like that. What if somebody else was there? Your husband for example? Your sister?" Hermione suggested.
"Is Lucius alright?" Narcissa asked as if she just remembered about her husband.
"Yes." Hermione replied nonchalantly, "But what I'm trying to say is, if you apparate to the Manor and somebody sees you, you'll put all of our lives to danger." Hermione tried to reason with the older witch.
"And what do you suggest?"
Hermione pointed her wand at her bag and summoned the invisibility cloak. "This, it's an invisibility cloak."
"Alright, give it to me." Narcissa extended her hand to Hermione.
"Why?" Hermione clutched the cloak tightly; this was her only way into the Manor.
"Because I'm going alone." Narcissa replied curtly.
"No!" Hermione insisted.
"I don't see why you should be with me." Narcissa argued.
"Well..because I..um..the cloak is valuable and I can't just give it to you like that. It has to be with me." Hermione explained.
"Your so called cloak doesn't interest me. I just want to see my son." Narcissa almost yelled at Hermione.
"We will, so the sooner you accept my offer the closer you get to seeing him." Hermione said calmly.
"Alright." Narcissa huffed, "Let's go." she ordered, her stiff fingers trembled as they closed over Hermione's arm.
They held the cloak tightly over their bodies as Narcissa apparated them to the Manor. Hermione couldn't feel her legs when they arrived at Draco's room. Her vision was blurred and her head was light. She fell to the floor, her legs unable to support her. Apparating with somebody in Narcissa Malfoy's hysteric state was definitely a mistake.
Several minutes passed before she was able to see properly. Her back was resting against the wall. Across from her, she saw Draco lying on his side. He was talking to his mother in a barely audible voice. She could see a bandage covering the wound that stretched across his back.
She stood up when her legs finally decided to cooperate. With uncertain steps, she walked towards the bed. Narcissa Malfoy looked up at her and Draco turned his head back with difficulty. He glanced at her briefly before looking in front of him again.
"Why are you here?" he asked dryly.
"I..we..didn't know what happened to you after we left, so I.." Hermione replied, struggling to find her voice.
"You wanted to know whether or not I was dead." Draco cut her off.
"Well, yes..we were worried!" Hermione said indignantly.
Draco scoffed in response. His scoff was soon followed by a muffled moan of pain.
"Leave, please." he pleaded with his mother
"I'll try to come back again soon" Narcissa whispered, running the back of her hand gently over Draco's cheek.
"No." Draco said forcefully, "I'll come for you when I can" he promised.
Narcissa looked at her son for a long moment. Contemplating whether or not she should listen to him before she spoke, "Alright, I'll be waiting for you." she conceded.
Hermione felt a mix of several feelings inside her. She was eternally relieved to see Draco was still alive. Frustrated at not being able to talk to him properly with Narcissa never leaving his side. And disappointed by his aggression towards her.
What did you expect? Hugs and roses? A voice inside Hermione's head mocked. Draco probably thought this was all her fault. And somehow it was. If she had attacked Draco instead of Ron, it could've been a lot more accurate and a lot less lethal.
Narcissa Malfoy reluctantly apparated them back to Hermione's aunt's house. Hermione hovered in front of the door awkwardly. She didn't know if she should say something or just leave. Narcissa sat on a chair, looking at her with a blank expression. Feeling an air of hostility engulfing the older witch, Hermione excused herself and apparated back to the Order's house.
"This is not working!" Ginny huffed in frustration, "We've been trying to destroy it for sixteen days now. There doesn't seem to be a spell powerful enough to destroy that cup." she whined.
"Kingsley and a couple of aurors are coming tomorrow. If we still couldn't destroy it even with their help then we'll have to find a way into Hogwarts." Lupin said.
"Remus this would be too dangerous, specially for Harry. Hogwarts is now under you-know-who's control." Mrs. Weasly objected.
"There's no other way. If Basilisk venom destroyed one Horcrux then it should be able to destroy the rest." Harry argued.
"We've wasted enough time already. Can the elves apparate us to Hogwarts?" Bill asked.
"No." Hermione spoke finally, "The wards protecting Hogwarts are much stronger than the ones at the Malfoy Manor. I don't think elves can take us there." she explained.
"Can we please have dinner now? I'm starving." Ron pleaded.
And for once, everybody was as hungry as Ron after spending a whole day desperately trying to destroy the wretched cup. Different conversations took place over dinner, ones that Hermione barely took part in. By the time Dinner was finished, everybody looked too tired to function. Even Lupin was falling asleep on the couch he was sitting on.
Hermione glanced at Ginny who was fast asleep on her bed. She envied her for how easily she seemed to fall asleep no matter what was going on around her. She closed her eyes and tried to force some sleep into them. Gory images haunted her. She remembered every time her heart almost stopped during the battle. How she stood fixed with shock when she saw the green ray of light aimed at her from Bellatrix's wand.
She felt as if a hand was closing tightly over her throat. Her heart like it was going to explode. She jumped off the bed suddenly and darted out of the house. The tiny space of the house suffocated her and she sought some fresh air.
Hermione sat on the ground outside the house. She conjured a couple of birds from the tip of her wand and watched as they flew gracefully over her head. Hermione was so absorbed in watching the birds until she heard something move. She stood up abruptly, holding her wand.
"Lumos" she whispered, pointing her wand in front of her. Before Hermione's eyes could register the frame in front of her, her nostrils registered the familiar Cashmeran scent. With every step Draco took, Hermione's eyes widened a bit more.
"Are you going to stop looking at me like you've seen a ghost?" Draco asked with a frown when he stopped in front of her.
"You do look like one!" Hermione exclaimed.
Under the faint light coming from her wand, Draco looked paler than he ever was. His skin had an ashen gray tint. The shadows under his eyes were showing how little sleep he was having.
"Too bad, I always thought you had a thing for my looks." Draco smirked at her.
"Well you obviously lost those. But not your sense of humor, though." Hermioe retorted.
"Lost? So you're admitting that I had them in the first place?" Draco cocked his head to one side.
"Tell me you're not here to pester me, Malfoy. Because it would be really childish if you are." Hermione huffed.
"I'm not. I want to visit my mother and I don't know the place well enough to apparate there on my own." Draco explained, looking more serious now.
Stop grinning like an idiot! Hermione berated herself. But her lips didn't cooperate so she put her wand away, hoping that the dark would hide her face. She hadn't expected seeing Draco again anytime soon. Their deal was over, he had ensured his mother's safety and they got the cup. She even doubted she'd ever see him again at all, and for some hideous reason it left her inexplicably bereft.
Hermione rushed back to the house, hastily leaving a note informing the others about her whereabouts. She couldn't decide where to leave it. If Ginny was the first person to see it she would probably freak out. Harry and Ron's reactions wouldn't be any better. She climbed the stairs and fixed the piece of parchment over Lupin and Tonks's door.
She returned back to find Draco drumming his fingers impatiently on one of the walls. He opened his mouth to speak and Hermione knew he was going to whine about her being late. Before he could start, she grabbed his arm and apparated them to her aunt's house.
"I really think I should stay here" Hermione said, standing in front of the house.
"Why? Did the two of you fight..again?" Draco asked, huffing in frustration.
"No, but I'd prefer it if I stay here. Your mother and I can't get along even if our lives depended on it." Hermione admitted.
"I know." Draco nodded, "Come in and sit in another room, then." he urged.
"No_" Hermione shook her head, "I'll be fine here, I could use some fresh air." she insisted. She could also use less hostility, less pointed looks and less Narcissa Malfoy in general.
Hermione rested her head against the door and took a deep breath. The night was pleasant, it reminded Hermione of the times when she used to take strolls with her parents along River Dee. Coming back here always reminded her of how much she was missing her parents.
"You are the most absentminded person I've ever seen!" Draco exclaimed, "Have you any idea how long I've been standing here?" he asked in amusement.
"No, not really." Hermione mumbled, looking up at Draco, unaware how much time had passed.
"Aren't you leaving?" he asked.
"Not yet." she replied.
"Why not?" he raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'll take a walk first." Hermione barely stopped herself from offering Draco to join her.
"Alright..goodbye." he nodded at her briefly before a pop announced his departure.
Hermione started strolling down the familiar path. Hoping that by the end of her walk, she could go back to the house and have a decent amount of uninterrupted sleep. She stopped abruptly when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and gasped in surprise when she saw Draco standing there.
"I don't have to go back home now." Draco shrugged, "So..walk?" he tilted his head to one side tentatively.
"Walk.." Hermione murmured, her hand tightening over her belly. Trying to control the butterflies that suddenly decided to soar in her stomach.
A/N (2): I was told that I switch from one POV to the other a lot and that it's best if I stick to one POV or a general narration where I don't share so much of the characters thoughts. Honestly, I'm a bit selfish and I like to write the sort of stories I like reading. And I love seeing the same story from different POVs. So I wanted to know what do you guys think. Do I keep switching between Draco's and Hermione's POVs or do I stop?