A/N: So the beginning of Part II! I hope you all enjoyed reading Draco's POV last chapter, since it's going to be continuing into this part of the story (along with Hermione's). Another time jump in this chapter. Reviews = Love.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
He saw the world end in ash almost exactly as he had dreamt it. It kept replaying over and over in his mind until he'd finally just sat and stared at the darkness surrounding him in his room for days. He recalled reading something once about the world ending over and over again. A cycle doomed to be repeated. He supposed that the idea in and of itself wasn't wrong. Across time, across continents, everyone had their idea of how the world would crash and burn.
He just wished the aftermath had been less of a mess.
He stood on the edge of the bridge overlooking the rest of the city. His eyes burned, and he blinked furiously trying to prevent sleep from taking root in them. He cursed for the fourth time that night for the new recruit skipping patrol, then he cursed himself for deciding to cover for the bastard.
Nearly two years at this, and it still hadn't gotten any better.
The city was less of a wreck now, with the efforts having been made to finally clear away the debris and rebuild.
Magic was a wondrous thing, taking stones and piecing them back up into buildings in a matter of minutes. Everything was now habitable, though not every place was safe. None really safe at all. Not since curfew had been enacted roughly 6 months before.
He sighed, still gazing out at the dirty river before him. If he jumped, were would it lead him?
Probably to death.
He laughed at his morbid sense of humor before turning back toward the lit street behind him. His wand was at the tip of his fingertips.
The Elder Wand.
It was so different than one might expect. It strengthened the connection between his magic and the wand. He learned spells twice as fast, pooled his energy into each motion twice as much, but it wasn't a miracle worker. This wand relied on the skill of the wielder; that much he'd learned over the years.
He rounded the corner to where he was supposed to meet back with Theo when he felt that he was being followed.
He turned sharply and then once more before waiting in the shadows beside a torn building.
He watched the glide in his stalker's footsteps, familiar in their own way. When the figure stepped near the streetlight, dark skin gleamed from beneath his hood.
"Blaise." Draco sighed.
Blaise pushed his hood back and flashed him a thin smile.
"I wondered when you would notice someone was following you."
Draco inclined his head with a smirk. "I did rather quickly. I just waited to see if you were a threat."
Blaise's smile grew into a grin.
"Fancy a drink then Draco. One old threat to another."
He had barely inclined his head before Blaise had turned and began to lead him down the street and eventually up the steps to one of the few well-made flats still available in Wizarding London.
Blaise took a moment to undo the wards before they both slipped inside.
Draco stuck his wand back into his holster watching as Blaise cast a quick silencing spell.
"I told you when you left last time to not come back."
"You tell me that every time, and yet here I am." Blaise flashed a smile before airily taking a seat on a couch.
Draco sighed before clambering to the kitchen, returning with a bottle of firewhiskey and two shot glasses.
"I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to keep this place available to you." Draco said downing his shot before handing Blaise his.
The other man ignored him, opting to drink his own shot. Blaise stared quizzically at the glass in his hands before his eyes rose to meet Draco's.
It was just as well. They'd been through this same argument hundreds of times before, and really the flat was in no way in danger of being discovered. He'd listed it under his mother's maiden name when he'd hastily begun buying properties after the Battle of Hogwarts. They all served a similar service as this one; a means to house and hide his friends.
"What news then?" Draco asked, leaning over to fill Blaise's glass before moving to his own.
Blaise shrugged. "They're beginning to pick up the pieces. Leadership is finally settled, but," Blaise pursed his lips, "Their numbers are low. They keep losing more even with everything you tell them."
"Because they won't listen." Draco said bitterly, downing another shot. He blinked back at the slight burn as it washed down his throat. "Come on Blaise. You were gone three months, and that's all you got for me."
Blaise shot him a look. He seemed weary, rocking his full shot glass back and forth in his hands.
"Granger's missing."
He looked up quickly, his glass nearly dropping from his grasp.
"What?"
Sympathy flashed in Blaise's gaze. "She'd been missing for four months when I got there."
He swallowed roughly, forcing his face to remain blank. He put the shot glass down, along with the bottle, before digging his trembling hands into his pockets. He focused on taking in large gulps of air, willing himself to avoid the creeping anxiety that was quickly gaining control.
"How?" he finally asked.
Blaise shook his head, annoyance clear in the furrow of his brows. "Damned Weasel was with her. They were making a run for some lead on information. He says they were ambushed and that she might have splinched herself."
"No one's been captured that I know of." Draco said, feeling his heart rate settle. She was just lost somewhere, in hiding. Not much of an improvement, but at least not in Death Eater hands.
Blaise nodded, downing his shot and leaning back into the sofa.
Draco felt his ring heat up, and a quick tap and Theo's voice was ringing in his ear.
He sighed, standing slowly allowing his aching joints to ease back into position.
"That Theo?" Blaise asked.
Draco nodded absently re-buttoning his coat.
"How's he doing?"
"Bugger's Occlumency shields aren't strong enough. Doesn't seem to realize that they won't get any better no matter how many times he reads the book on them." Draco grumbled before moving to the door.
"So you're still angry at him for taking the Mark."
Draco bit his tongue to keep back a particularly scathing remark about Theo and his errors of judgement. He was still angry, but what good would it do for Blaise to know.
"He's made rank." He said flatly.
"That's good. It's what we wanted."
"I didn't need a babysitter." Draco hissed.
"He's your ally, not your babysitter. Besides, it's more like the opposite. You outrank him." Blaise said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"How's Daphne?" Blaise asks after a moment, and Draco was grateful for the subject change.
He smirked. "Still turning him down."
"Do you think she really doesn't feel..."
"She's not turning him down because she doesn't." Draco murmured, "Quite the opposite."
Blaise shook his head, not bothering to hide his own exasperation at the situation. Blaise had always been a closeted romantic. It had truly been amusing, especially during his philandering days. Though those seemed to be done for now. He didn't see the point in resisting something that was so inevitable.
"Can you really blame Daph for not wanting to be in love during war?"
Blaise looked at him, and he nearly flinched at the intensity in his friend's dark eyes.
"Sometimes I think the only time to be in love is during war."
He didn't bother to comment on that. He shrugged and grasped the door handle. "Reset the wards after I'm gone." He finally said, "How long will you stay?"
Blaise sighed from behind him. "3 Days."
"Stay safe."
"Get some sleep Draco, you look like hell."
He refused to step right into that argument and instead yanked the door open and disappeared out of the building.
Theo was waiting back at the street corner, leaning with his arms crossed at the street post. He pushed off as he approached. "Really took your time tonight."
"Thought I saw something." Draco returned easily as they fell into step. Theo kept in step with him, but they didn't speak again until they'd crossed into Muggle London and bounded up the steps to Draco's flat.
"You see Blaise?" Theo asked. Draco tossed off his jacket and wandlessly sent it to the closet. He nodded as he fell into a chair and began undoing his boots.
"Could have told me. I haven't seen him either."
"Didn't cross my mind." Draco said evenly.
Theo sighed and dropped into the armchair closest to the fireplace. "I know your still angry."
Draco opened his mouth to protest, but Theo ignored him and continued.
"And I'm not going to apologize for my decision, but Salazar's rod Draco, don't take it out on Blaise too."
Draco didn't say anything, focusing on the undoing the knots from his right shoe.
"Look, if you're my brother than Blaise is our other brother."
He sighed, finally kicking off his shoe. "I know Theo." He rubbed his face, wincing as he felt a shot of pain across his temples.
"We'll both go tomorrow night. He'll still be here."
Theo nodded before standing and walking toward the fireplace and grabbing a handful of Floo powder.
Theo bit his lip, lost in thought. He watched Theo's hands waiting for any signs of his apprehension. The anxiety seemed under control for the time being. His grip was steady and firm, no tremors in sight.
"You sure you want to go back to the Manor?" He finally said.
Theo nodded. "Father's still away. I'll be alone."
They left it at that. No need to elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Theo's near deranged father and his erratic behavior. Theo threw the powder into the fire and then pressed his wand to the mantle before calling out Nott Manor.
He disappeared into the green flames, leaving Draco very much alone.
He sighed and rubbed his temples before stumbling toward his bedroom. The pangs had progressed to full out pounding on his skull. He fell on top of the bed, not even bothering to get beneath the covers. He barely had the energy or clarity of mind to magic off his clothes before he allowed himself to succumb to the visions.
He hardly had it in him to fight them anymore.
Not for the first time, Hermione was beyond thankful that crowds still populated the narrow streets of London. She hobbled as close as she dared to a drunk group before tripping and colliding with one of their members. At her collision, she nimbly slipped her hand into the other girl's pocket. Retreating to the side, she quickly shot a healing spell at her ankles and at her right elbow. She rounded the corner and walked past the same group before dropping the wand discretely near the girl's feet.
The girl was just remarking on the theft when she noticed the wand at her feet.
Hermione allowed herself a small smile. Really, while they were drunk, they made it too easy for her.
She continued down the street, walking as fast as she could without appearing suspicious.
She was in hell it seemed, and every time she closed her eyes it all played out all over again.
One minute, she and Ron were running from the Ministry, scrolls tucked under their arms and the next thing she knew spells were flying. The lights had shut off and they were feeling for each other and the portkey that she'd managed to drop in her haste to whip out her wand.
She shuddered as she passed through the border into muggle London. Though it wasn't much of a border now. Not when this part of the city was just as controlled as the other, complete with a border patrol and an anti-apparation spell.
Not that she could apparate.
Her poor wand. Snapped at the impact of her fall when she'd woken from her journey to find herself in the middle of a park on London's outskirts.
She couldn't for the life of her remember what prompted her to apparate there.
It took her another 10-minute hobble to get to the abandoned church that she'd claimed as her own.
When the door had shut behind the priest quarters she'd set up as her room, she instantly relaxed.
It was pure torment to journey out each and every day with no real protection.
Her wandless magic was improving, though not fast enough for her liking. Her overall state of weakness might have been the reason behind that. Hence, the journeys she spent pick pocketing wands to use for a few healing spells at a time.
She settled back in the cot and pulled a scroll of parchment from underneath it. She toyed it around in her hands.
Such a little thing, but it had nearly cost her her life and Ron's.
At the thought of the red head, tears welled in her eyes. The loneliness left her aching and breathless. She bit her lip and sent up a short prayer to whatever deities were out there that her friends were still safe, wherever they happened to be.
She unfolded the parchment and ran her hands over the ruins that decorated the sheet. She barely recognized the symbols and wished she had her textbook of ruins or a few books she remembered using from Hogwarts in class. Her fingers paused at the one ruin she recognized clearly.
Wild.
She sighed and refolded the parchment and replaced it under her mattress.
Why had the Death Eater's been guarding it so thoroughly?
She mulled the thought over in her head before she heard the unmistakable sound of the door to the church re-opening. She froze, straining her ears. Two voices were clear. Both males. Her heart dropped and she immediately went back and pulled all the parchments out from beneath the mattress. She stuck them into her pockets.
Sneaking out was her only option. She refused to be captured again.
Draco pressed his wrist to his nose, blinking rapidly at the dust that immediately dislodged itself from behind the door to the abandoned church. Some of it still managed to get into his airways as evidenced by the fit of dry coughing he was powerless to prevent.
Theo glanced at him, concern clear, but he waved him forward. He cleared his throat to catch his breath as the coughing subsided. He stepped forward, taking in the overturned benches and cracks in the marbled floor.
"It's a dump." He muttered, turning back to Theo, who was busy shooting revealing spells around the room.
"Are you sure that this is where the spell went off?"
Theo rolled his eyes. "Yes. If all you're going to do is complain, you shouldn't have insisted on coming. Now who's babysitting who?"
Draco was about to retort when he heard shuffling from somewhere near the back of the room. Theo turned, obviously having heard the same. With a finger to his lips, he motioned Theo to follow him as they soundlessly drifted passed the podium to a short hall of rooms.
He signaled for Theo to take the right side as he moved to the opposite end. He sighed to himself, hoping that whoever was seeking refuge in this shithole was just a wandering drunk. He wanted to deal with this as quickly as possible. For the first time all week, the prospect of sleep actually seemed promising.
She heard one of them cough before their footsteps simply ceased. She clutched her makeshift weapon in her hand, wondering if beating her attackers with a broken cross might be considered blasphemous. She shoved the thought away as she listened for the telltale signs of breathing. Though, it was hard to make out anything over the roaring of her own heart.
Deep breaths.
The pounding in her ears seemed to recede enough for her to notice the faintest sound of a shoe hitting against uneven floor.
She didn't even think before swinging out from the corner and swinging the broken piece of wood blindly at the intruder.
"What the bloody fuck?" he backed away, his hands coming up to protect his face.
At the sound of his voice she stilled. She dropped her hand, grasp still firm on the cross.
It was a voice from a lifetime ago. Could it really be….
"Careful Theo, I think you're being crucified." A voice drawled from behind her.
The wood dropped from her hand as she slowly turned toward the source of the second voice.
He met her gaze, fiercely and completely devoid of traces to what he was thinking. Her chest tightened at the sight, and she resisted the urge to reach for the necklace that still hung at her neck.
Draco.
She heard his name pass from her lips as a mere whisper.
She'd dreamt of seeing him again, but her dreams were fanciful and filled with visions of easy reconciliation. Reality was a great deal harsher. How should she greet him when the last time she'd seen him his mother had just been brutally murdered?
While she did nothing.
She licked her lips before moving her eyes from Draco back to her initial intruder.
"Theo?" She said uncertainly as the brunette in front of her hesitantly moved his arms away.
Theo blinked up at her in shock. She was about to ask how they'd found her, when Draco chose that moment to finally speak.
"Nott."
Theo's eyes snapped to Draco.
"Take her back to the flat." In a second, Draco was beside her unclasping his cloak and quickly dropping it over her shoulders. He yanked the hood over her head, and in the next second he was beside Theo, pushing him into motion.
Her mouth dropped at being handled like nothing more than a ragdoll. She clasped her jaw tight, grinding her teeth together. In all the scenarios, she imagined of this, not one of them included him effectively ignoring her. He had no right to speak as though she wasn't there.
"I am not going anywhere."
Both heads snapped to her.
"Would you rather someone else find you then?" Draco snapped before turning back to Theo, "Keep her head down."
"Draco what are you…" She began.
"I'll send the ok and report back. It was nothing more than a wandering drunk who forgot about the new restrictions on the curfew." Draco continued, before shooting Theo a meaningful glance and quickly rushing out of the church.
Gone. Just like that.
She wasn't sure if she should be angry or displeased. A mix of both. She blinked before turning slowly toward Theo. It occurred to her then, that this was turning into what could only be described as an impromptu rescue of sorts.
Though, a nagging voice was sounding in her ears. Could she trust them? It had been nearly two years, and Draco…
He had every reason to hate her.
"Granger." Theo said gently taking her arm, "Come on. You don't want anyone else to find you trust me."
She glanced up at Theo's kind green eyes. She took a breath, and she found herself automatically letting her guard down. This was Theo. Theo, who had teased her. Theo, who had been nothing but a kind and polite figure in all their years that she'd known him. Her mind was finally turning its rusted clogs. He was right. She couldn't stay here. Draco and Theo had found her; the next set of intruders would not be as forgiving.
"Ok." She whispered, dropping her head and letting Theo lead her out. They didn't walk for far. Maybe a few blocks, but they were pure torture. Her feet dragged as her still tender ankles throbbed with pain. The adrenaline that had been fueling her body was now spent, and she was hit with the full force of her aching and battered body.
At her sharp intake of breath, Theo slowed their pace. She stole a glance at the boy, whose gaze was fixated ahead of them. His eyes would dart to the side every once and awhile, but other than that he strode as though he hadn't a care in the world. Besides the slight tension in his jaw and neck, he was the picture of ease and disinterest.
Amazing, how he could do that.
They stopped in front of a restored building that seemed to be largely abandoned. Theo kept his grip firm around her hand, leading them through the entrance and up the stairs to a flat on the second floor. A quick glance around the hall revealed no other apartment doors.
Theo quickly dropped the wards and forced them both in, closing the door and immediately reapplying the wards.
She stumbled before quickly scanning the apartment. It was relatively simple. A large living room that was sparsely furnished with a couch and two uncomfortable looking chairs and a bookcase near the fireplace. To the left, she made out what was clearly a kitchen as well as two doors that she assumed were to the bedrooms.
Without realizing it, she'd been gravitating toward the couch, eager to get off her aching feet. Theo cleared his throat from behind her.
"You may want to lose the shoes. Drake's got this thing about them and carpets."
She frowned and glanced down at her dirtied and worn boots. She cringed. They'd certainly seen better days.
"It's good to see you Granger." Theo said, flashing her a thin smile.
"Despite the circumstances." She took a breath, "I'm glad to see you too Theo."
He nodded. "I'm just relieved you're alright. When Blaise told us you'd been missing for months..."
"Blaise was here." Hermione straightened. Last she'd seen the Italian; he'd been with the Order.
Theo frowned, suddenly uneasy.
"He was here last week."
Her eyes widened. If Blaise could travel between restricted London and the outside world, maybe he could take her with him. She had to get back to the Order.
Her chest tightened.
She was about to ask Theo when Blaise was expected back, when a chime sounded and the fireplace roared to life. Theo grabbed her and pulled her behind him just as Draco stepped out.
He glanced over at them before stepping passed them and into the kitchen. Theo frowned and edged toward the kitchen entrance.
"Draco?" he called out.
The blonde in question came back with an assortment of jars and potions in his arms. "What Theo?" His voice was low.
Hermione remained firm in place, but now that her initial fear and anxiety had faded, she found herself properly examining him.
He'd gained weight.
It was the most obvious change. Where he'd been a rail when she'd last seen him, he'd now filled into most of his lanky frame. He was still thin, but not painfully so. She drifted to his face, and was not surprised to see the telltale signs of sleep deprivation.
Where the visions still so debilitating?
Theo was still staring at Draco, his eyes narrowed and searching for Merlin knows what. After a moment, he sighed and shot her a thin smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow then." Theo finally said. Draco nodded. The fireplace lit up with the floo powder and Theo pressed his wand to the mantel before calling out for Nott Manor. With a flash of green he was gone.
"You should probably get cleaned up before we have a look at your injuries."
She lifted her head and met his gaze, though she frowned when he quickly looked away.
It hurt, that knife of tension that was so deeply lodged between them. It was like they didn't know how to behave around each other anymore.
He hates me. He hates me because I did nothing, when I chided him for that very thing before. Hypocrite Hermione Granger.
She grimaced.
"Hermione."
She blinked.
"Yes."
He gave her an odd look, but for a moment she swore she saw amusement dash through his mercurial eyes.
"I said would you like the shower?"
Her knees shook, as her exhaustion seemed to catch up with her.
"I…" she looked away, "I don't think I can stand for long."
He nodded, his jaw clenched. He motioned with his head to follow her into one of the bedrooms. Shakily, she stepped, reaching out to support herself against the walls.
He waved at the handle and the door flung open to reveal a simple bedroom. Something about its set up struck her as familiar.
He continued walking and pushed open a door that revealed a rather large Master bathroom.
She frowned as she continued to scrutinize the room before it hit her.
It was like his room in the Head's dorm.
This was Draco's bedroom.
She felt her cheeks warm at the realization, and quickly pressed her hands to her cheeks.
"The bath is ready." He called from near the tub.
She shook her head and walked slowly into the bathroom. He watched her intently before clearing his throat rather loudly.
"Call out if you need anything."
She nodded, chewing her lip. He shot her one last look before he shut the door to the bath.
She started with her pants, slowly pulling off the jeans that had been her second skin for several months now. Socks were next.
It wasn't until she got to her jumper that it finally hit her.
The tears began falling freely, and she tried, through her blurred vision to reach overhead and pull the clothing off her. Her arms protested at the movement, and she hissed in pain.
All of it crashed down.
She was back in the Ministry. Ron was shouting from across the room. Greens and reds flashed around her.
She whimpered, feeling her knees buckle.
The escape, and the searing pain of being splinched as she landed. The crack her wand made when she'd fallen down on it.
She was openly sobbing now.
All those months, where she didn't dare speak a word out loud. All that time living in an abandoned building filled to the brim with dust and cobwebs.
There was pounding on the door, but it hardly fazed her.
She drew her legs close, and wrapped her arms around herself.
This was it. This was when it would end. Ron and Harry having no idea where she was. Her parents having no idea who she was at all. And then Draco, Draco who probably hated her and couldn't be trusted because of it.
The door flew open, and Draco froze at the site of her half naked form curled up in a ball on the bathroom floor.
She saw him grab a towel and wrap it gently around her, before kneeling down to face her.
"Hermione." He said softly.
If anything, it made her sob harder.
He shouldn't be allowed to be kind. Not right now. Not to anyone, least of all her.
"You're safe Hermione." He continued.
She nodded, viciously rubbing away the tear stains from her face. She felt her panic subside as her shoulders slumped down.
He was relieved when she finally calmed. She seemed to actually be hearing and responding to him now.
"Why aren't you in the tub?" he asked, keeping his voice soft and smooth.
"I…couldn't," she hiccuped, "I couldn't get my jumper."
His eyes widened before he nodded slowly.
Her arms were where her worst injuries were.
"Can you keep the towel around you?"
When she nodded in response, he re-positioned himself to her back, before slowly pulling the corner of the fabric up, until she was free of it.
"Do you want me to help you with the shirt too?" he said, knowing she probably couldn't get that off either.
Again, he waited for her nod before maneuvering her out of it. They repeated it for her bra and finally it was just the towel that hung from her frame. He turned and waited until she'd gotten into the tub before he faced her.
"Ok now?"
She nodded numbly, and he quickly exited the bath.
It was 20 minutes more before she deemed herself sufficiently clean. She stood stiffly from the bath and wrapped the towel back around her. When she turned the door and stepped into the bedroom she was relieved that Draco was nowhere to be seen.
Her clothes; though, had been folded and placed on the bed, looking like they'd been subjected to quite a few rounds Scourgify. Next to the pile was a pair of transfigured pajama pants and a plain black t-shirt as well as a hair brush.
She hesitated before grabbing her bra and underwear and the pajama set, quickly changing into them.
She tried to brush through her hair, but again her arms protested at the movement.
There was a soft knock at the door, and it slowly opened to reveal Draco. He glanced at the hairbrush in her hands.
"I can't." she whispered.
He gave her a slight nod, before pulling his wand from his pocket. In seconds, her hair was magically dry and de-tangled.
Then he wordlessly took her arms into his hands and began applying the healing salves in healthy clumps atop her skin. A murmured bone mending spell and a few potions and she was led into the guest bedroom
"Thank you." She finally said, leaning against the door frame.
He reached out and lifted her chin until her eyes met his. Still unreadable, but slightly softer than before.
"You've done the same for me."
Then he turned and went into his own room.
Damn him.
She gingerly laid out on the bed.
Damn him for always being so bloody difficult to read.
He should be used to waking up to screaming. More often than not, he was the one doing it. Not this time.
He scrambled out of bed and easily made it out to the hall. He stopped in front of the room. He debated going in. Would she want him, and whatever comfort he could give her. Two years nearly gone, and it felt like nothing when he saw her in the abandoned church.
But she might not feel the same about that.
His ears perked up at the sound of her whimpering, and with a deep breath, he pushed open the door and entered.
The screaming had stopped, but she was rocking herself back and forth clutching her forearm.
"Granger."
He cringed as it passed from his lips. It felt too formal. Foreign. Like they were strangers.
And they were anything but.
She quieted at his voice, and he took that as encouragement. He pulled her arms apart gently.
"Hermione."
He shook her.
She shook her head, the whimpering escalating into sobs.
"Hermione, wake up."
She opened her eyes, and he willed himself not to flinch at the utter desperation lodged in them.
"Draco?" her voice was hoarse as she focused on him.
He dropped his hands.
"It seems we've had a role reversal. You're usually waking me up from a horrible dream."
A sob broke from her, but it turned into a watery laugh. He was grateful for it.
She caught her breath and moved to sit upright.
"You shouldn't…"
"What was it about?" He interrupted.
"No." She pushed him off the bed.
He stumbled. Her hysterics seemed to flare at her newfound panic. Why though?
"Hermione."
"No." she said again, "Not from you. Gods why is it always you?"
He stood and slowly walked closer.
"What happened Hermione?"
"Not to you." She whimpered, "It shouldn't be you. You don't have to be nice to me. In fact, you probably hate me…" Her voice broke.
She'd stopped thrashing and pushing him away, so he took her arms back into his hands before dropping them to thread his fingers through hers. She trembled in his grasp.
"I don't hate you." He said simply, because it was the truth. He didn't, couldn't hate Hermione Granger. It went against every fiber in his body. It was the ultimate irony. The one thing he'd been brought up to hate, he couldn't.
She was too kind, too thoughtful, too bloody smart, and yet she could be so oblivious.
She bit her lip and looked up at him.
"Why aren't you angry at me?" She said then, "I just stood there and did nothing."
He blinked.
Salazar was that what she was worried about?
"I was. For a long time." His voice broke, "But then I thought, what a hypocrite, because," his hand edged up and went under the sleeve of the shirt he'd transfigured for her.
"Because I did the same thing when you got this."
His fingers edged across the vile lettering.
"No." she shook her head, "No that's not true. I felt it."
Her forehead dropped to lean on his.
"I know you stopped part of the pain. You…You protected my mind with those hallucinations and that shield."
His fingers stopped moving.
"But I didn't do anything, and she just..."
He shushed her. "No. Nothing you could have done would have changed the outcome. Trust me." He shot her a weak smile, "I know."
She met his gaze before nodding slightly.
He moved back to push the sleeve up her arm. "Is this what you were dreaming about?"
She looked away, but in the movement, he had his answer.
He was shit at this. He knew he was, but she deserved some comfort, no matter how inept he was at giving it.
"Hermione."
"You once told me that you were sorry." She interrupted him, "Sorry for everything you've ever done, and for everything you will do."
He felt his throat clench at the memory. When he forced his next words out, they were hoarse.
Remember me like this.
Just come back.
"They're still true."
She nodded, chewing her bottom lip.
"And I am too. I'm sorry for everything I didn't do and for everything I did."
Merlin he wanted…Fuck he didn't know.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, resisting the urge to bend down and capture her mouth with his.
"I know Granger." She closed her eyes, her exhaustion was finally catching up with her. Much like his own.
"Go to sleep ok."
She murmured something, and he laid her gently back down.
"Sleep Hermione." He murmured kissing her temple again.
"Night Draco." She whispered.
The corners of his mouth tugged upward and when he finally got back to his room, he collapsed. For the first time in months, he fell asleep and dreamt of nothing all the way until morning.