AN: Okay so a little more is going to happen in this chapter so please enjoy and I'll give you a penny for your thoughts (though I have no money).
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Song suggestion: My skin, Natalie Merchant.
Chapter Twenty Two: Goodbye Muggle World.
That night Hermione revised her earlier decision on bed wear and dressed in her more appropriate long sleeved cotton t-shirt and floral trousers. After much hesitation and internal debate, she had dismissed the idea of wearing a bra too, reasoning her pyjama top was thick enough for modesty, and she couldn't go through the pain of her underwire pressing into her ribs again all night.
Slowly she walked out of the bathroom and nervously chewed her lip.
"I see you've returned from the Arctic, nice to see you've come back to the reality of having to sleep in a hot bedroom." Malfoy was sat up in the bed, the covers draped over him but she knew he was in nothing but boxer briefs.
"I decided it's not very nice to wake up in a bath of my own sweat." She tried to joke.
"It's only because you know how hot I am." He winked.
"Really?" She kneeled next to him on the bed. Thoughts of Pansy's advice playing in her mind as she fought to not fidget or move away.
"Of course." He nodded.
"So you're the hot one?" She smiled and swung a leg over him and straddled his thighs.
"I might be beaten by you though…" He smirked but looked guarded; clearly he wasn't going to let her push him again today.
"Butt-kiss." She giggled and flopped over him onto her side.
"Come on, bedtime." He sighed and held the covers up as she slid in.
"Night." She curled up against him, which took him by surprise.
"Night." He curled his hands around her waist as her head rested on his chest.
Hours later Malfoy was woken by the sound of someone coming up the stairs. Quietly he eased himself out of bed and grabbed his wand off the bedside cabinet and took a defensive position ready to defend his Mate.
The door barged open.
"Mr Malfoy do put that wand away." Professor McGonagall stood before him clad in all her night wear glory. Cautiously he lowered his wand.
"What's this about Professor?" He asked as McGonagall walked to Hermione's side of the bed and shook her shoulder.
"Hermione, wake up!" She commanded and slowly she was brought out of her slumber.
"What's going on?" She instantly took in the scene and was awake and ready.
"Professor Dumbledore requires you to go to his office immediately, he says it's urgent."
"Oh my gosh! What's happened?" Hermione demanded flinging herself out of bed, shoving on her slippers and dressing gown, pocketing her wand.
"Come quickly." McGonagall said hurrying out the door.
But Hermione paused and looked back at Malfoy.
"Malfoy…" Holding her hand out, she begged with her eyes.
"Of course." He nodded in understanding, grabbing whatever clothing he could find and they ran to catch up with McGonagall. The Professor just nodded at the two and held the common room door open.
"I'm scared." Hermione whispered to him as the three of them hurried along the hallways.
"It's going to be okay." Malfoy said rubbing her back trying to sooth her.
"No, it's not, don't lie to me Malfoy!" She whimpered.
"Okay then, this is probably something horrific but you can get through it because you're Granger and without you we'd all fall to pieces." He corrected.
"Whatever Malfoy." She mumbled.
"Up you go." McGonagall wasted no time as they went up the staircase to the Headmaster's office.
Hermione took in a deep breath before knocking and bracing herself for whatever was going to greet her on the other side.
"Enter." Said a deep voice on the other side and they walked in.
"Good evening Professor." Hermione whispered.
"I'm sorry to pull you away from your slumbers at this late hour but something has happened."
"Happened Professor?" She frowned.
"Please sit." Cautiously she placed herself on one of the chair and Malfoy sat next to her, while Professor McGonagall stood between the two parties but off to the side.
"Please, Professor, what's happened?" She near begged.
"It's your parents." He frowned, his face solemn.
"What's happened?" She repeated in a trembling voice filled with dread.
"I'm very sorry Miss Granger; they've been in an accident..." He bowed his head sadly.
"No, they're not dead, they're not, I saw them last week, and they're not dead!" Hermione yelled hysterically standing up shaking in denial.
"I'm so sorry Hermione." Malfoy murmured softly, watching her carefully.
"No, no, no, no, no! They're alive." She shook her head, "There's been a mistake! They are not dead!"
The Headmaster and Transfigurations Professor stared as their normally controlled, high achieving student screamed and denied. Unsure what to do with her they simply decided to wait for her to calm herself. But Malfoy knew this was only the beginning. He knew she wasn't going to let up soon, so he stood up and grasped her arms and made her look into his eyes.
"Granger." He stared at his Mate as she struggled, "Granger."
"They are not dead, they're not! They can't be…!" She ranted on in desperation.
"Hermione." That got her attention, she stilled and stared back at him as tears sailed down her cheeks. The realisation seemed to dawn on her and her body was wracked with, not denial and rage, but sorrow and despair. She slumped against him and slowly he gave into her weight, as sadness weighted her body too much for her to handle. She clutched him in emotional pain as he comforted her.
"We shall dismiss you both from classes tomorrow." Professor Dumbledore nodded sincerely.
"Is that everything?" Malfoy asked quietly and he nodded, "Then I shall take her back to our room."
Carefully, he held her up until he could swing her easily into his arms. Then slowly he walked out of the office, down the hallways and up the stairs. Told the portrait the password and carried her all the way to their room where he laid her on the sheets and stripped back down to his boxers before removing her slippers and dressing gown before joining her again. He pulled the covers around them both and held Hermione in his arms and comforted her with his presence knowing no words would help the distraught Witch.
As the hours passed her sobs turned to cried and her cries became sniffles until finally she fell into an exhausted sleep with Malfoy following soon after, though the sun was starting to peek onto the horizon.