Chapter 6. The Dragon

POV Draco

Draco was pacing the Great Hall, the pulse in his chest throbbing. He had felt her calming energy come through to him before she left the room, but it did nothing to settle his galloping heart. Something was wrong, he didn't like the look in the weasel's eye. He never knew of him being violent towards Granger before, but Draco could almost taste the dark energy flowing off of him.

"Drake my friend, she will be fine. They will scream and yell at each other, but that's it. It's just an ego trip. She will put him in his place and all will be right again. Trust me."

Theo's words did nothing to quell his anxiety. This felt different than the fights he had witnessed between them before.

"No. No. Theo, this not like their other fights. I can—" A surge of terror ripped through his chest. He knew immediately that it wasn't his own. He tore out of the Great Hall and through the atrium. He had no idea where she was, but he trusted the tether to guide his way.

Theo was on his heels calling after him. "DRAKE! WAIT!"

Another surge of terror.

WHERE IS SHE!?

A blood-curdling scream vibrated through the hall.

"HELP! SOMEONE! MALFOY!" He tore in the direction of the voice, Theo right on his heels.

Whatever the weasel was doing, Draco would make him pay. He kept running; his lungs burning, his heart pounding, but he couldn't stop, he had to find her. Another scream tore through the air, shaking the walls of the castle.

"HELP! PLEASE! HE—"

A surge of pain stopped him in his tracks. His breath was knocked from him and he fell to his knees.

"DRAKE!" Theo dropped by his side, "What's wrong?"

Draco could hardly think, let alone speak, the pain was unbearable. Desperation flooded his mind. He tried to occlude to hide the pain so he could get up. He was pushing everything down, down, down as fast as he could.

"Draco stop! Occluding this much is unsafe!" Theo was shaking his shoulders.

Down, down, down, push everything down!

"DRACO!"

Everything went quiet. The pain, the terror, the desperation; it was all gone. Draco jerked his head around and scrambled to his feet. Something was wrong. Occluding was meant to mask it enough so he could keep going, this was different.

"Somethings wrong Theo." His eyes were darting around listening for any noise.

"I told you to not occlude like that! It's dangerous!"

"It's not that… I can't feel her." He didn't wait for Theo to respond; he took off down the hall and turned into a corridor on the left.

He froze, and the walls of the castle trembled; windows shattered, and portraits fell as everything around them quaked. His eyes were locked on the small and naked crumpled body on the floor and the red-haired weasel that was looming over her. Ron's head snapped up, but before a single syllable could leave his lips, Draco's shouted "INCARCEROUS!"

Weasley's body flew back and slammed into the wall as the ropes wound themselves around him. Draco stalked up to him, his wand shaking in his hands. He could hear Theo muttering diagnostic spells behind him. Turning, he saw that he had removed his cloak and laid it across Hermione to cover her up. He was franticly casting spell after spell. She looked…

No, no, no, no no! Please no!

"Is she alive?"

"She needs Pomfrey, Drake, these injuries are… Her skull is cracked, her jaw is shattered… These aren't magical injuries, he hit her."

He didn't respond, his focus was back on Weasley who was fighting his restraints. Draco spotted the blood on his hands. Kneeling down, he dug his wand into his throat.

Kill him.

"For someone who goes around calling me a death eater, you seem to be the one who's done the most damage to muggleborns." He said sliding his wand into his holster.

He rolled his sleeve's up, slowly revealing the mark that had been forced upon him when he was just sixteen. He balled up his hand into a fist, flexing his forearm, and slammed it into the weasel's jaw. He drew back, and hit him again, and again.

Kill him.

"DRAKE! STOP! WE NEED POMFREY! NOW!"

Kill him.

"DRACO!"

He stilled, looking to Theo.

"You did it Drake, you got him, now you need to help me save her! We need Pomfrey and we need McGonagall."

That snapped Draco out of whatever trance he had been in. Pulling out his wand, he closed his eyes, and concentrated. He had never successfully produced a patronus. He knew he needed a happy memory, so he dug down, did he have happy memories? He thought of quidditch, of flying, the one thing he does that makes him feel free.

"Expecto Patronum!" A tiny ball of light shone from his wand before faded out of existence.

FUCK! Come on think! She is counting on you!

He closed his eyes, pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair nervously.

Winter, snow, sledding with mother in secret…

He dropped down beside Theo. He had yet to fully look at Hermione, afraid that she would be dead. Her hair was stuck across her face by blood. He reached out and gently pushed it back. He caught a whiff of her perfume. Their kiss flashed across his mind, the eruption of magic from their tethers connecting… Her laugh.

"EXPECT PATRONUM!"

The light erupted from his wand, lighting the corridor as if it were midday. Power coursed through his veins as he held onto the memory. The light dimmed a moment, and Draco worried the spell had failed again, but from the tip of his wand, a creature sprang forth and flew around his head. When it stopped before him, he was able to see that it was a Ukrainian Ironbelly. Shaking off his surprise he quickly relayed the message for the Patronus to deliver.

"To Headmistress McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey; Hermione has been attacked, contact the Aurors, were down the old, abandoned corridor on the south side of the castle." He flicked his wand and the dragon took off towards the other side of the castle.

He dropped back down beside Hermione. "What can I do?"

Theo was franticly casting healing charms at every inch of her small frame. The diagnostic bubble that floated beside him was flashing red.

"Lift her head, I need to check the fracture on the back of her skull."

Draco set himself on the floor by her head, not bothering to scurgify the pool of blood that was soaking into his clothes. He carefully slid his hands under her head and shoulders and lifted her up to cradle her in his arms. He gazed down at her face… she looked so lifeless.

Come on Granger. Please.

He held her tight against his chest willing with all his might for her to wake up. Tears were burning in his eyes and his shoulders began to shake.

Please wake up. I only just got you. You can't leave me now.

He heard a commotion from down the hall. "OVER HERE!" He shouted.

From around the corner came McGonagall and Pomfrey, followed by Hagrid.

"Hermione! Oh my goodness! What's happened?" McGonagall shouted dropping to her knees.

"Weasley drug her down here and assaulted her." Theo provided. "Draco felt that something was wrong, and we came running, we found her unconscious on the ground with Weasley on top of her."

McGonagall looked at the limp figure tied up against the wall. "I see that Mr. Malfoy has contained the situation." She turned her attention back to Hermione.

"We need to get her to the hospital wing," Pomfrey spoke, as she cast her own healing charms over Hermione.

Hagrid stepped up, offering to carry her, but Draco wasn't willing to let anyone else near her. He slipped his other arm under her legs and lifted her up. Theo readjusted the cloak to keep her modesty.

"Hagrid, if you would please, grab Weasley and bring him along."

He nodded and slung Weasley over his shoulder.

As Draco carried Hermione towards the hospital wing, he thought he felt the lightest of plucks in his chest. Like a feather had brushed up against his soul. He looked down at Hermione, who was just as lifeless as she was before, but that light touch sparked hope in Draco.

That's right Granger, come back to me.