Chapter 15. Scarhead

POV Hermione

Silence. Total and complete. It choked the room like a thick fog of poison, filling their lungs, preventing them from speaking. Hermione wanted to occlude, but all her attempts since waking from her coma had failed; still unsure if the cause was the injury or her bond with Draco. As soon as they had the chance, she decided, the two of them needed to sit down and run some experiments on their bond. Because in moments like this, when her emotions were heightened, she can feel his as well, mixing with her own, clouding her rational side. Each word that popped into her head to say was more violent than the last.

Say something!

"Harry?"

She was the closest to the fireplace, Draco flanked her on the right, the twins looming behind them. Her eyes were locked on his form, afraid that if she even blinked he would disappear.

"Mione? Is it really you?" Harry said, faintly, also seemingly unwilling to break eye contact with her.

"I might ask you the same question."

"Of course I'm real, 'Mione."

Then where have you been?

She went to take a step towards him, but froze, hearing Draco clear his throat, cautioning her. The act also caught the attention of Harry, who turned away from her to look at him.

"Malfoy." He spat, "Fancy seeing you here."

Draco opened his mouth to respond, but Hermione cut him off, "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was at the Ministry, giving my statement, when I heard McGonagall tell Kingsley that she had been by to see you. She mentioned Malfoy staying here and I just wanted to come check on you. I was honestly worried I wouldn't get through."

Why would he think he couldn't get through?

"What are you trying to imply Potter?" Draco asked pointedly, inching closer to her.

Oh… OH!

Anger was licking at the back of her mind. He hadn't bothered to visit her in the hospital wing, and now suddenly he just decides to intrude into her home, and make accusations against her boyfriend!

Who does he think he is!

"What did you tell them?" She asked, picking at the skin around her fingernails. Harry hadn't been there when it mattered so what could he have possibly had to say?

Harry was shuffling his feet under their gazes, "Could I speak to you in private, please?"

"Absolutely not!" The twins shouted in unison stepping forward towards her.

"The last time she was alone with one of the Golden Trio she was nearly raped and killed."

Ronald did, but Harry wouldn't…would he?

"Mione, I am your best friend! How could you accuse me of something like that?!" he pleaded, rubbing the back on his neck with his hand.

"Ronald was my friend too and he did do something like that!" She shouted back, "Now, what did you tell them at the Ministry?"

"Please, let's just… come with me to the Burrow and we will sort this all out."

Ron also begged to speak to me alone.

Hermione noticed Harry's hand twitching nervously near his pocket. Suddenly feeling those flickers of fear once again. What was he planning? Was he going to try and kidnap her? He was in the middle of his Auror training, surely he knew better than that.

"There's nothing to sort out Harry! Draco saved me, and he's been taking care of me ever since. That's more than you can say."

"He's a Death Eater!"

"Watch your mouth." Fred seethed, his hand firmly in his jacket, likely holding his wand.

"WHAT DID YOU TELL THE MINISTRY HARRY?!" Hermione snapped.

"I told them it must all be a mistake, that Ron wouldn't harm a hair on her head. I told them that there must be another explanation, to have you brought in and examined for traces of Unforgivables--"

EXCUSE ME!?

"UNFORGIVABLES? What are you saying, Harry? That Draco Imperio'd me and made up the entire thing? You do realize his wand is still monitored by the DMLE?"

Both his hands were in his pockets now and he was looking down at his feet. "I just want to get to the truth. Please come with me 'Mione, I will keep you safe, we will figure this out."

I don't like this. Something is wrong.

"She is perfectly safe here Potter. You have no idea how to take care of her as she heals since you never bothered to come see her while she was black and blue and in a coma! You weren't there when push came to shove! You fucked off to suckle the Weasley matriarch, never giving her a second glance, just as you have always done! You don't give a damn about her Potter! It was Theo, Pansy and me who sat by her side every single day! Not you! Even the Weasles own brothers are here making sure that she is safe! So if anyone should be suspicious about someone being under the Imperius Curse its us!"

Is that why he is acting strange? Did Molly curse him to force him to come collect me? No… surely not.

Her thoughts were sending her into a spiral, and she knew Draco could feel it. She looked to him, his eyes boring into hers, and could feel him trying to comfort her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. He closed the distance between them and placed a gentle hand on her back.

I am safe.

"Why didn't you come visit me?"

Harry looked away, suddenly afraid to look her in the eye, "I was going to, but everyone kept telling me that I needed to protect myself. That I would end up being framed and sent to Azkaban, just like Ron."

"Not surprising. That's what you always do isn't it, protect yourself? Do you ever think about anyone else?"

Harry looked ready to murder Draco where he stood, "That's rich coming from you Malfoy. I didn't see you thinking about anyone else while 'Mione was being tortured by your aunt!"

"Harry! That's completely unfair!"

"You have no clue what you are talking about Potter."

Harry jerked his head up to look at the twins, "You know your brother. You know he would never do that to her!"

"You're right Harry, we do know our brother, and he absolutely would do this! You are in denial!" George shouted, "Ron was always jealous of everyone around him, you know this! Always feeling like he lived in the shadows of his siblings, as well as you and Hermione! Do you think we would be here right now if we thought Ron was incapable? He's been seeking power for a long as we can remember, and he seized his opportunity the moment he got her alone! Thank the gods he failed!"

"I am not in denial! He would never hurt her! Why am I even wasting my time arguing with the two of you anyway? What would you know? You barely leave that fancy shop of yours, which you wouldn't even have if it weren't for my Triwizard winnings!"

"HARRY!" Hermione shouted, horrified and disgusted by his words.

"If that's how you feel, we will gladly pay you back two fold, and you and our baby brother can gladly fuck off out of our lives."

She noticed his eyes darting back and forth between them, sizing them up. Hermione barely registered Harry drawing his wand before she was surrounded by 3 large bodies.

"Big mistake." Draco growled.

"Huge." The twins echoed in unison.

"This isn't you, Hermione!"

How dare he assume who I am!

She peeked at him from behind Draco, "You don't know the first thing about her, Potter.

Magic was crackling across her skin like wildfire, igniting the rage in her chest. Sparks were flicking off the ends of her curls like a swarm of fireflies. She steps around the twins and grabbed Draco's arm, pulling him back.

"You, Harry Potter, don't know the first thing about me!" she shouted, pointing her finger in his direction, "From that very first day on the train, it was you and Ronald, and I was the extra! You always had each other, only choosing me when it was convenient for you! Brainiac Hermione come to save the day! But when it matters to me, you couldn't care less! I deserve friends who will choose me, pick me, love me; for who I am, not for what I can do for them! It speaks a lot for who you are when the people you like to call Death Eaters treat me with more respect than you or Ronald ever has! So you can take your accusations, and claims of honor and friendship and shove it up your ass! Now get out of my house, before I do something I won't regret!"

"Hermione...ple—"

Her fist connected with his nose before he could finish his plea. His hands shot up to his face, blood pouring out onto his face, dripping onto her floor. Turning to walk away, she caught the open gaping expression of all three of her towering guardians.

"That felt good." She said and walked past them into the kitchen.

The twins had their arms around each other, Fred extending his around Malfoy's shoulders. "Anyone else got a boner?"

"Please don't touch me when your dick is hard!" George said, pushing away from his brother, following Hermione into the kitchen.

Draco turned to look at Harry who had back up against the fireplace. "I think you better go before she does it again."

Turning his back to Potter, he joined the others, and wrapped Hermione in a hug. "I'm so proud of you for doing that." He said, before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "You've improved since third year. It's very sexy." He threw her a wink and turned to make them some tea.

Hermione was sad, heartbroken even about what had transpired with her former best friend; but she felt better than she ever had. She finally had the courage to stand up for herself and understood exactly what she deserved. It may not be what she had ever envisioned for herself, but it was still amazing and it brought her more joy than she'd ever known.

Fuck him.