The first thing Hermione noticed was her head pounding.
Then the pain in her shoulder.
Then Pansy's screeching.
"Hermione, open your eyes. Theo! Come here you brute!"
"Ugh, Pansy, shh." Hermione tried to sit up but felt a pressure on her shoulders.
"No Hermione, don't move. You fell down the stairs."
"That explains why my head hurts so damn much." Opening her eyes she put her hand on her head and, after brushing off Pansy's wandering hands, she sat up. "I just tripped, it's not a big deal."
Theo appeared beside them assessing the situation before picking Hermione up.
"Theodore Nott, put me down!"
"Absolutely not Hermione, your ankle should not be at that angle."
Momentarily forgetting her irritation, Hermione lifted her right leg to see her ankle. She knew to lift it because she couldn't feel it. It was in fact pointed at an ungodly angle. Groaning she let her head fall back while she patted herself down for her wand. When she found it she lazily pointed it at her ankle.
"Episkey."
There was a sickening snap that made Pansy gasp beside them with one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach. Theo himself, having come to a stop witnessing her spell work, looked a bit green.
"Bloody fuck Granger, that was disgusting!"
"You can put me down now Theo, I'm capable of walking." He did as she wished and she noticed his quidditch jersey, "How was the game?"
"Oh no you don't, don't change the subject!" Pansy pocked her hurt shoulder, "You still need to go to the infirmary."
"And I'll go," Hermione huffed, "but I'm telling you, it's nothing."
Pansy came to stand beside an aghast looking Theo, her hands on her shapely hips, "Theo, how often have you known Hermione to just fall down the stairs?"
"Never."
"Thank you," then she looked pointedly at Hermione.
"Honestly, I just missed a step."
Straightening her robes she summoned her scattered books before scurrying away from her friends. There was a dull pain in her shoulder and her ankle hurt something mean but she forced herself not to limp as she walked away. When she reached same story as the infirmary she could no longer hold in her limp and, unfortunately for her, she ran directly into Remus.
He took one look at her and growled, "Again?"
She nodded sheepishly. Remus's eyes flashed yellow reminding her of the upcoming moon just before putting an arm under her shoulders and taking her to the infirmary.
"Poppy!"
Hermione winced, "Really Remus it's not-"
Madam Pomfrey appeared from behind a privacy curtain, Hermione saw a flash of green before the white curtain fell again.
"Oh Miss Granger, again? What happened this time, did you have another spill?"
Remus directed her to the empty bed near where Madam Pomfrey was still standing and swiftly picked her up to place her on the bed. Madam Pomfrey immediately began running diagnostics.
"Hermione Granger, you did not heal yourself again! Ugh young lady, I have told you an episkey is not an adequate way to set broken bones."
At her side Remus let out another low growl.
The curtain behind the matron snapped open, "You episkey'd a broken bone, Granger?"
Hermione let her head fall and hit the pillow behind her. Of course he would be here right now.
"Yes, I did. I didn't even want to come but I couldn't walk right."
"That, young lady, is because it is not the proper healing technique. We are not at war anymore, you ought to be seeking proper treatment for your injuries when they occur. Are you going to tell us what happened this time?"
"I missed a step on the stairs," she whispered, "same as last time."
"Last time?" Draco yelled as he watched Madam Pomfrey remove Hermione's robe to expose her bruised soldier, "How many times has this happened?"
Turning her head to the side she glared at him, "A few."
He scoffed, "How many is a few?"
The Heads were oblivious to the curious looks the matron and their professor were sharing over Hermione's bed.
"Three," she spat back, "This makes four."
"Four! Bloody hell Hermione! Why didn't you say anything?"
"Enough you two, quit squabbling like a children," Professor Snape snapped as he approached. He pointed at Draco, "I have notified your mother of your incident. She is none to happy. And you," he shifted his pointed glare to Hermione, "Again?"
Hermione responded by closing her eyes and letting her head fall back again.
Madam Pomfrey answered for her, "Yes Severus, the fourth time this semester as Mister Malfoy has just learned."
"She says she missed a step," Remus added in.
"In the form of a jinx no doubt. Again," he drawled pointedly in Hermione's direction.
"I am right here," Hermione sighed, "It's nothing. Truly. I just need a pain potion."
"You need a lot more than that young lady," Madam Pomfrey tisked, "You need Skel-grow, Vitamex too for the fractures, and bruise paste for the shoulder. Not unlike last time."
Hermione submitted to the matrons treatment for the next twenty minutes before the three adults mercifully left her alone. Draco, however, did not. He forcefully re-opened the curtain between their beds the moment the adults footsteps receded.
"Tell me what happened."
Sleepy she answered him, "The same thing as the last three times. I wasn't paying attention, someone jinxed me, I tumbled."
She didn't hesitate to tell him the truth, it was Draco after all.
Draco was seething, had been from the moment he heard about her supposed accident. Seeing the bruising on her shoulder had set his teeth on edge. Now looking at her, clearly tired, snuggled under the covers of her bed he felt hopeless. He was still watching her when she rolling over to face him, wincing as she did.
"What happened to you?"
"I fell off my broom."
"You fell off your broom?"
"It happens Granger, even professional quidditch players fall."
"Are you okay?" She whispered.
Reaching for his wand Draco scoffed, "Never better." Using his wand he summoned her bed closer until it was flush against his own.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to go to sleep," he answered simply pulling her from her bed and into his before sending her bed back to where it was supposed to be. "Just don't throw your leg over mine like you normally do."
Hermione wanted to fight him knowing what Madam Pomfreys reaction would be in the morning but relaxed against him, nuzzling her nose into his neck instead, "I don't always do it."
Draco pinched her hip, "You do. You're a bloody grindylow."
"And you love it," she breathed against his skin making him shudder, "Otherwise you wouldn't have brought me over here. Or bring me to your bed. Or come to mine for that matter."
"Shut up Granger, sleep."
Hermione grinned but she closed her eyes, her arm stretching over his abdomen, his own coming to rest over hers. She felt Draco lay his head on her hair and heard him take a deep breath. He smelt like grass and the musky scent she had come to identify as solely his. It made her chest hurt.
Everyday Draco drew closer to Astoria and yet they slept together near every night. She wouldn't have known he was here if she hadn't come in herself, she would have just thought he fell asleep early. Nearly every single night they spent together, every study session, every meal, every class, every walk in between, Hermione felt her own want for him grow.
She wanted to have his attention.
She wanted to tell him the truth.
And yet she wouldn't.
Not while his mark still read Astoria's name.
So she contented herself to what she could get. Even when it left her in emotional ruin day after day.
"Granger."
"Mhm."
"Tell me who it was."
Eyes drooping she looked up at him, her chin resting on the junction of his armpit, "No."
His eyes were steal as his jaw clinched, "Hermione..."
"No, Draco."
"You know who it is?" When she didn't respond he huffed, "You're a stubborn witch."
Hermione laid her head back on his chest, "Just hold me Malfoy. Let it go and hold me."
Despite himself, Draco chuckled as he pulled her closer, "All you had to do was ask."
The witch snorted and snuggled into him as his arms wrapped around her tightly.
The next morning, Madam Pomfrey rose to check on her patients before breakfast as she always did. She made her way around to each bed before coming to Hermione's. Seeing it empty she didn't raise the alarm immediately. Instead, recalling Mister Malfoy's reaction the evening before, she peaked through the rumpled privacy curtain.
She knew she should be mad or at least lecture them. It was a breech of protocol to say the least, not to mention it was wildly inappropriate but as she observed the two Heads snuggled together in the tiny hospital bed she couldn't bare to wake them.
Draco, however, heard the curtain and opened one eye, lifting his head just enough to see the matron.
"Don't wake her," he whispered.
"I won't," she assured, "but I need to check your leg."
Shifting carefully as to not wake Hermione, Draco made his left leg available for her diagnostics. Hermione remained asleep throughout the entire thing, including her own review.
"Thank you," he whispered again.
"She is a strong young woman Mister Malfoy," he nodded, his brow furrowed not sure where this was going, "but aside from your head of house and Professor Lupin, no one else knows. She won't even tell Misters Potter and Weasley. Not when she is bleeding or has a broken bone. She refuses to let Remus stay with her and has even skipped out on her discharge to leave early as to be undetected. I've never seen her like this," she motioned to Hermione's current state, "I believe you have more power than you know Mister Malfoy. For her sake, don't abuse it."
Still frowning Draco just nodded numbly. After the elder witch left the room he looked curiously at Hermione, still snuggled in his arms.
He wouldn't admit it but Hermione meant more to him than he had a right to feel. He knew it. Looking up at the ceiling he waited. He would willingly wait for her to wake up so he could spend as much time wrapped in her scent, sugar cookies, utterly addicting. He didn't know how long they'd been there, just that the sun rose casting a glare on their covered intertwined legs through the window panes.
Of course he'd been right, she'd thrown her leg over his. It made him smirk.
Hermione shifted uncomfortably as her hip, the one wedged between Draco and the bed, began to itch. "Draco?"
It was a sleepy mumble that gave him goosebumps.
"Do you make a habit of sleeping with other blokes?"
Rising Hermione sat up to stretch like a cat to hide her blush, "I'm a bit offended you even asked."
He watched her unabashed. These moments were the only times he really got the chance to, "We should get up. You slept in."
Putting her hair up Hermione got up from the bed.
"Yes, blame me," she snorted, "Are you forgetting who needs three alarms in the morning to even become semi-conscious?" Draco scoffed but said nothing as he swung his legs off the side of the bed and tested his leg, none aware that Hermione was watching him closely. "You had a quidditch accident."
It wasn't a question but he answered her with a confirming mumble.
"What were your injuries?"
"A broken femur."
"I can't believe you fell," she said in a huffed voice putting her hair up in a tie, "You've been on a broom since nappies."
He looked insidious when he turned on her, "And I can't believe you refuse to tell me who jinxed you." The atmosphere around them changed. It became electric and angry feeding off his temper, "I will find out who it was."
Hermione regarded him for a moment, her face pensive before softening.
"Why do you care?"
When he didn't answer right away she counted to twenty in her head. Gods she wanted him to answer. But when she hit twenty and he hadn't said a word, hadn't even moved, she bit her lip and left the privacy of their little makeshift bed.