A/N: Hey! Hope you guys liked the previous chapter. I am starting this right after finishing the last chapter. Let's see where the story goes.

Chapter 16: Granger's Wrath

Draco walked back to the Head's common room from the kitchens. In his hands was a tray of food for Hermione and himself. The corridor was empty as it usually was after lunch and this section didn't hold anything of importance beside the Head's dorm. So he let himself get lost in his thoughts.

He didn't know what to feel about how he had spent his morning. He would be lying to himself if he said it had been one of the worst mornings ever. Being next to her wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He had thought waking up next to her, with his arms wrapped around her would have been awkward, but even that wasn't true.

"Hey Malfoy!" A voice called from behind him. He turned to find three fifth year students with their wands drawn out. He recognized one as a Gryffindor named Andrew something. The one in the middle who had called out after him was a Ravenclaw and that was all Draco knew about him. The last was a girl on the Ravenclaw's right, who Draco was drawing a complete blank on. They looked angry, their breaths rushed and stance defensive.

Draco raised a thin eyebrow, "That's Sir Malfoy to you." He couldn't help it and apparently it was the wrong thing to say.

Andrew whipped his wand and yelled, "Expelliarmus!"

The tray in Draco's hand fell to the ground as he let go to reach for his wand. His fingers had barely touched the wand when it flew towards the boys. He narrowed his eyes and glared at the students as the girl reached up and caught the wand easily.

"What do you think you're doing?" He snarled.

"What did you do to Hermione?!" The Ravenclaw snarled.

"It's none of your bloody business." Draco snapped.

The boy growled and flicked his wand, "Confringo!" He yelled.

Draco raised his hand and yelled just in time, "Protego!"

The students' eyes widened at the display of wandless magic by Draco, but then determination sank in and they attacked viciously.

"Stupefy!"

"Reducto!"

"Incarcerous!"

Draco was pushed back as he poured his magic into the shield. He was well aware it wouldn't hold long. His wandless magic was weak, and the constant bombarding of spells wasn't doing him any good.

A Confringo shattered his shield and hit him square in the chest. His breath was knocked out as he flew against the wall. He hit the wall and landed on the floor, groaning. Pain flared in his back and head.

"What did you do?!" The Ravenclaw snarled as he gripped Draco's collar.

"Fuck you." Draco spat in a raspy voice. The boy drew his hand back and punched Draco.

"She saved my life in the battle from fucking Death Eaters like you. What did you do to her?" The Ravenclaw snarled.

Hermione sat in her bed, looking at her door anxiously. Draco wasn't back yet. Her heart was burning, and she knew something was wrong. She stood and left her room not even pausing to put her shoes on.

She ran down the stairs and just as she got to the door, her chest gave a painful thud. Her fingers clutched her shirt and she paused at the door. Her breathing became harsh and her mind only knew one thing, 'Draco was in pain.'

She almost slipped as she raced down the corridor. Her sensitive ears rang with sound of Draco's heart thudding loudly in his chest. She could hear him muttering, "Get the fuck off me." Her hair flew behind her, her eyes frantic and panicked. Her bare feet echoed through the walls as they ran desperately to reach her mate.

She turned the corner and stopped at the scene before her.

A fifth year girl she recognized to be Gryffindor, Natalie Fairbourne, was casting an Incarcerous to bind Draco with ropes. Another Gryffindor, Andrew Cleveley, was looming around Draco, his wand at the ready to lend support to the Ravenclaw, Eddie Carmichael, who was currently punching her mate, who was bleeding.

Hermione saw red.

"Hands off." She snarled viciously, her voice laced with venom.

All four pairs of eyes turned around to look at Hermione Granger. She was a frightening sight. Her hair was floating in the air, crackling with visible gold sparks of magic. Her eyes were dark, almost black, filled with an anger no one had ever witnessed. She stood barefoot and wandless, and yet she was the most fearsome sight the four had seen.

"Hands off I said!" She growled. Her hands raised and Eddie was lifted into the air and thrown off Draco. He landed a few feet away with a thump.

"H-Hermione we heard you were d-dying." Andrew spoke raising his hands in the air, terrified of the aura coming off the girl.

"So you decided to harm my mate?" She stepped closer to the group. Her magic was pulsating off her skin in bursts of waves. The Veela within her was erratically taking over her magic. Her fingers started to spark as she pointed them at Andrew, fury in her eyes. A burst of energy released from the tips of her fingers. Andrew and Natalie flew back, small blisters appearing on their skin. She stepped forward, raising her hands once again to cause more damage.

Draco decided to intervene yelling, "Hermione!"

Her name on his lips distracted her and she saw the look on his face. There was blood running down his nose, but his eyes were earnest. He raised his arms and slowly stood up. Her eyes didn't miss how he winced. He walked slowly to her, her hands still raised.

Draco Malfoy was bloody scared of the power radiating off her, but he made his way towards the witch anyway knowing well that the witch that had once punched him would oddly never hurt him. He raised his hand and took her hand in his.

"It's okay." He whispered as he rubbed her hand with his thumb.

She hung her head and the sparks in her hair dimmed. Her magic eased and the heat of power rolling off her subsided slowly. He reached out and touched her shoulder carefully. She looked up and he was surprised to see tears running down her face. But he guessed that was a given after the emotional few days she had had.

"It's okay." He repeated reassuring her in a steady voice.

She stepped forward and carefully, but passionately, wrapped her arms around him. He was startled for a second before he allowed a smile to come on his face and patted her back.

"What the hell?!" Eddie exclaimed standing up with his wand still out. Hermione's head turned towards him, filled again with anger. Draco sighed.

'Why couldn't the Ravenclaw just let it be? Did he not like living?' Draco thought narrowing his eyes at the fifth year.

Hermione shrugged herself out of Draco's arms and faced with three students with her hands on her hips.

"What were you thinking?" She snapped. Her Veela half still felt like skinning them.

"We heard he did something to you! And that you were dying because of it! And instead you're hugging the fucking Death Eater?" Eddie exclaimed, his eyes wild.

"So you think he's despicable for having been a Death Eater in the past yet you're the one acting like one! It's Death Eaters who answer everything with violence, Eddie!" Hermione replied passionately.

Eddie was taken aback, his eyes wide.

"All three of you will go report to Headmistress McGonagall immediately. I am taking a hundred points away from each off you and you get detention till Christmas! Off with you before I think of something else!" Hermione scolded fiercely.

The three stared at her.

"I would also like my wand back." Draco spoke glaring at Natalie. She reached into her pocket and tossed the wand at him. He caught it in the air.

Andrew and Natalie began to walk away wincing at the blisters, but stopped to drag Eddie away who didn't seem to want to move.

"Oh, and Eddie?" Hermione called as an afterthought. "I want you to inform everyone else that I am fine, and if anyone tries to harm Draco Malfoy, they will have to answer to me."

Eddie's eyes narrowed but he didn't say a word. Hermione stared him down as the three students left the corridor.

There was silence for a few seconds after their departure, broken by Hermione who turned around and inspected Draco who protested only very slightly liking the attention. He gave a small smile as Hermione fussed over his bleeding nose and the bruise forming on his jaw. She cleaned his face as best as she could with the edge of her sleeve.

"Come on let's go to the infirmary." She said taking his hand as if it was a very normal thing to do and leading him forward. She could feel the electric warmth where their skin touched.

"Honestly, Granger I am fine." Draco drawled, but following her anyways. He was lying and she knew that very well. Even if his heart beat wasn't telling the truth, she would have known anyway. Her eyesight didn't miss the way he winced with every step he took.

"Draco you know I know when you're lying." Hermione spoke quietly.

"About that Granger," Draco spoke carefully, "That's not really fair."

Hermione looked at him from the corner of her eyes, "I can't really help it now, can I?"

"Yes but we can make the situation fair." Draco spoke quietly. Hermione chewed her lip.

"How?" She spoke cautiously.

Draco stopped and reached out turning her face towards him. He carefully and slowly moved his hand and placed it above her heart. She looked up at him with slightly wide eyes, at the intimate gesture. His eyes were filled with gentle warmth, the blue flecks sparkling amidst the silver.

"Tell me you won't ever lie to me either." He said with quiet earnest. She exhaled a soft breath, surprised at the burst of warmth spreading through her.

They were standing close, their noses almost touching. Draco didn't know why he liked this, this weird feeling where it was only her soft brown eyes and nothing else in the world. Something had changed in the last day and he didn't know what, and for once he was finding it difficult to actually care when she was looking at him the way she was.

"I won't." She said steadily, a soft smile on her lips. She wasn't lying. It was the least she could do while having the unfair advantage over him.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, neither one wanting to really move away. But then Draco removed his hand slowly and they began to start walking along the corridor in a comfortable silence. Hermione unconsciously reached out and gripped his hand again, the Veela in her purring at the action.

When they reached the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey was just sending off a grimacing girl with medicine to dull the throb of her uterus contracting.

"Is everything alright?" The nurse spoke looking at Hermione thinking something was wrong with her.

"It's Draco," Hermione spoke to the surprise of Madam Pomfrey, "Some students came after him."

The nurse frowned and ushered the boy in. She now felt slightly guilty for not letting Blaise and Pansy warn the boy. "I fear I must apologize." She spoke sincerely as she examined Draco's nose. The two students looked at her curiously.

"Mr Zabini and Ms Parkinson had come to warn you that something might happen right after I left the common room, but I am afraid I didn't allow it seeing how ill Hermione was." Madam Pomfrey admitted her mistake. Hermione at once opened her mouth to ease the nurse, but it was Draco who spoke first.

"You did the right thing, Ma'am." Draco said evenly. If Blaise and Pansy had interrupted at that point… He remembered how he had held Grange. He didn't want the two Slytherins seeing how vulnerable Granger's state had made him. Even Granger wasn't aware of that, being unconscious as she was at the time.

Madam Pomfrey smiled at him and pointed her wand at Draco's face, "This may hurt a little." She swished her wand and his nose snapped back into place.

"Bloody motherfu-" Draco yelped but got cut off as Granger scolded him from behind the nurse.

"Language Draco!"

He grimaced and turned his head sideways as Madam Pomfrey applied a rather cold paste to his jaw for the bruise there.

"Anywhere else?" She asked.

"My back." Draco scowled. Madam Pomfrey gestured for him to lift his shirt.

Hermione knew she should look away. She really did. But she didn't look away.

The Veela in her thanked her quietly and ogled with no shame.

Years of Quidditch practice and running around in the war era had toned Draco's body deliciously. His muscles were well defined but not overly so. When he had raised his hands to pull his shirt off, his muscles had stretched taunt. No wonder she had thought of the word 'strong' when he had his arm around her waist in the morning.

Hermione felt a blush spreading across her face as she stared at his chest.

Draco smirked when he caught her staring. The blush on her face deepened and she pointedly looked away. She chewed her lip again. He frowned at the action; it was driving him crazy.

Madam Pomfrey healed the huge bruise on his back carefully. She asked Draco if it hurt somewhere else. When he shook his head she gestured towards the door in a clear dismissal and went towards her office. Draco pulled his shirt back on, still smirking.

"Come on!" He spoke calling after Hermione who looked highly interested in the speck of dust on the wall. She turned to follow him, his cheeks still holding a pink tint.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"To the kitchens," He answered, "You still have to be fed and even I need some food."

She smiled at the fact that he still remembered she hadn't eaten in a while and followed him.

A/N: Finished this in two days! Almost 2500 words :D Figured you guys deserve another chapter so soon after having to wait for so long for the last one!

Ciao for now, Alex.