authorsnote: sorry this is a lil late - do enjoy!
songrecs: work song - hozier (honestly any hozier and bon iver is perfect for this fic)
Hermione glanced at the door and wondered if she could make a break for it.
Her mind was calculating how fast she'd need to run, how quickly she could throw the door open, whip around the corner and plunge down the staircase. Would it be quicker to blast the door open? Or maybe throw Malory forward as a human shield to slow anyone down? Would Malfoy try and stop her?
She glanced at him and truthfully he looked like he might be right behind her.
Perhaps they could make a run for it together. Malfoy was a werewolf, he was fast, maybe picking her up and dashing for it was the best option? She wouldn't be mad at being thrown over his shoulder to get them away as soon as humanly possible.
She glances at him, quickly as though to convey that idea, and either he read her mind so quickly with Legilimency that Voldemort would be jealous, or their shared bond has him able to read her body language well enough, (or maybe the terror in her eyes is that clear), but he shakes his head, an imperceptible movement, and she knows they have to face this, whether they want to or not.
And neither do, not even a little bit, they both look a little green around the gills, Hermione like she still might make a break for it, Malfoy wondering if turning into a werewolf there and then would be less stressful than whatever this is.
"Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall's voice shattered her thoughts on making for the window and using a hovering charm (as that might save her a minute or two), as she was pulled back to the present and back to the horror of the moment.
Was the look on her face so obvious as Professor Dumbledore cheerily smiles, shuts his window with a wave of his wand and nods at her. Why is there a twinkle in his eye? Why isn't he horrified to have Narcissa Malfoy here? Hermione might just be horrified enough for all of them.
And yet, she still can't ignore an authority figure, even when she feels like she might faint, or cry, or scream, or all three at once.
"Yes Professor?" She asks, though it sounds more like a squeak.
"You put yourself in grave danger going to Mr Malfoy in the night, when he might have turned" Professor McGonagall said, not unsympathetically, but with a hard edge to her voice, Hermione gulped, "What possessed you to do such a thing?"
And so were they just ignoring that Draco's Mother was eyeing her with something perhaps not outright hatred (and that was confusing enough), or was Hermione hallucinating her? Perhaps Mrs Malfoy was an apparition.
"I…" Hermione stumbled, feeling the need to answer, but not knowing how to beyond what she'd already said, "I… I just had to, I didn't have a choice"
Remembered the gasp ripping through her throat as she'd somehow known when the moon had crested over its peak, had felt an ache so deep in her chest she was sure her heart was threatening to burst, had felt desire, instinctual need to do something so visceral she'd truly had no choice but to follow its order. How could she explain what her soul had told her to do?
The soul she now shared with Draco Malfoy, or at the least was tethered to his.
That thought burned bright in her brain for a moment; which was it? She felt her hands tremble, there was no time to think on that now, no time for what could be a shattering revelation, that would have to wait.
Though she vowed to herself as soon as she and Draco were alone she would discuss it with him, for what their souls had become, was for them and them alone.
"Surely we should get to why my Mother is here first?" Draco bit in, and Hermione flinched, she knew she was one of the few students who was terrified of getting on the wrong side of teachers, Harry, Ron and Draco were on the opposite side of that spectrum to her.
She was at least pleased that clearly Draco could see his Mother too, though she supposed she couldn't rule out some kind of joint hallucination.
Was she hyperventilating? She thought she might have been hyperventilating.
"I'm here Draco, out of concern" Mrs Malfoy said to her son, her tone one of a woman not to be trifled with, and Draco didn't speak back either, good Lord, that was saying something, and Hermione shuffled a touch closer to Malfoy, hoping to be inconspicuous but feeling a need to, until Narcissa's gaze snapped to hers, stilling her in her tracks.
"Concern?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms and taking a step to the left, his shoulder brushing Hermiones then. He'd known what she needed, the bond saw to that.
For a second she did wonder, how much did the bond see to?
There was still so little they knew about it, and so much more to learn.
Though sending an owl to Professor Lupin was the furthest thing from her mind now, as she felt the brush of Dracos shoulder against hers, as she saw Narcissa look at the place their shoulders met, look, glower, frown and then meet her eye.
"Concern" She repeated, and Hermione felt Draco tense.
"How did you find out?" She asked, needing to say something, anything, out of worry for Draco. She remembered what he'd said to her before…
'Telling anyone makes you extremely vulnerable, and me… They could… they could make me do anything by threatening you'
'Anything?'
'Anything. I'd kill my own mother if they threatened your life'
Remembered when Harry and Ron had spoken to him…
'I would rather die than urt her, would kill to protect her'
'Even your own family?' You know they'd still try to kill her, what would you do then?'
'I'd kill them before they could try. All of them'
What would the wolf in him do if his Mother disapproved or worse? Hermione didn't think Narcissa would hurt her, but she also knew, remembered the lesson with Snape, that Malfoys wolf also didn't respond well to insults.
But again they knew so little, what could they predict?
"I saw you" She said with a glance, a look up and down and Hermione lifted her own chin, she wouldn't be cowed by a woman who disliked her because of her blood, something she couldn't control. She wouldn't bow her head in the face of prejudice.
She was safe here, she had the teachers, and most importantly she had Draco, Narcissa's glare might make her feel bad (and it did, she couldn't deny that), but it couldn't do anything to her.
"At the Manor" Malfoy said with a sigh, and his Mother nodded.
That almost made her flinch, to look at the woman who thought her to be little more than scum, was Dracos Mother, was the person Draco loved most in the world.
And had once, maybe still did, share her views, if not for his own tainted blood.
She was torn between wondering what his Mother thought of that, and a wave of sadness to remember that what she had with Draco, something burgeoning beyond the bond, was only due to him no longer seeing her as a second class citizen, not because of his own enlightenment or ways of thinking changing, but because he now considered himself one too.
A hard pill to swallow that continually got stuck in her throat.
"Your Father doesn't know" She continued, hands clasped in front of her, and Hermione glanced at Professor McGonagall for a second who offered her a nod. That helped, a little. "And that is for the better I'm sure, though, he will likely find out"
"Mother" Malfoy began … but he paused, looked at Hermione then, who offered a weak smile, she wasn't capable of anything else.
"If Father insults Hermione" He said, and Hermione was near shocked when Malfoy stepped in front of her, "If you do, or you keep looking at her like that" Hermione reached for his hand then, grabbed it, even grabbed at the back of his jumper, for support, or to stop him, she didn't know.
She did, she didn't want him to stop, found herself revelling in him defending her, against his prejudiced parents, was that the bond?
Draco rolled his neck then, and she felt a shiver scroll down his spine, she tightened her grip on his hand, swiped a soothing thumb over his back.
"She's not to be insulted" Draco finally managed to say, he didn't want to threaten his Mother, but Hermione knew, the bond, his wolf, demanded she be protected, defended. She remembered fainting in his arms, knew the bond, his wolf, Draco wouldn't stand for any of that.
She was perhaps the most well protected witch in Hogwarts in that regard.
"Draco…" She heard something uncertain in Narcissa's voice then, "She's…"
"She's mine" Malfoy said savagely, she heard a growl in his voice then, saw Professor Snape step closer, Professor McGonagall indicate for her to move away, but Hermione didn't so much as flinch, only tightened her grip until it hurt, as the tension in the room was harsh enough to choke.
"We're soulbonded" He said, and Hermione bit her lip hard enough to taste blood as she heard Professor Snape curse, Professor McGonagall gasp, Narcissa gasp in something strangled, and then as Draco turned to her, took her other hand, and bowed his head to hers, their foreheads meeting, touching, she breathed him in.
When had it become this?
"Well" It was Professor Dumbledore who spoke first, as Hermione, without any embarrassment clutched at Draco, and he her.
She did turn as their Headmaster said, kindly, "There we have it, that is quite that I would say"
And it was.
It had been for a long time.
An hour later, she sat on her bed, alone this time. Professor Dumbledore had told them kindly to go and get some sleep, had asked them to come back before dinner to "Discuss their unique situation" and then he and their two Heads of Houses had shooed them out, evidently to discuss what this would mean for their students, for the school.
Narcissa had left with them.
Though Hermione, as they'd left the Headmasters office, had wanted nothing more than a moment alone with Draco, had simply said, "Later" In a soft voice, and releasing his hand (which almost felt physically painful), at his tight nod, had walked away (with significant restraint not to dash for it), and left Mother and Son together.
And had sought out her own family.
That was how, at the bright hour of 7am, she had dragged Harry and Ron into the common room, and caught them up.
Well … almost, she hadn't lied exactly, but had left out certain details of the night before.
It felt odd to discuss with Harry and Ron, after keeping the secret from them for so long. Felt odd to speak to them about Draco, when once to them he had been Malfoy, a bully and a bigot they hated.
How such little time had changed everything completely and utterly.
Even as Ron sneered, and Harry glared at the mention of him, she gave them some grace for that, it was newer to them than her, and it was still pretty new to her. Tried to remind herself it had only been weeks, how the bond made everything seem longer, more intense. It felt like years, how had it not been years? How had it not even been months?
5 weeks, and she felt as though she had been tied to Draco for her entire life.
And she loved them for how, even as she stumbled through what had happened, omitted last night, but spoke of going to Malfoy, and finding his Mother waiting, loved them for how immediately they showed concern, how they asked;
"Are you alright?" Harry said as soon as she got the story out, she couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, this morning has been weird and I'm exhausted " She said, she thought she was, would have been dazzling had it not been for the morning, "But I am"
"Blimey, sounds like Malfoy stood up to his Mum" Ron said, and he sounded somewhat shocked, maybe even a hint impressed, Hermione understood, she felt the same.
"He did" She said, "But … it's complicated, so complicated"
"Sounds it" Harry joked, and smiled as she shoved him playfully, this felt right, this was what she remembered with her boys, this she would always fight to keep.
"Yes, I don't' even know how to figure it out in my head" She said, before a yawn left her between her fingers, she was exhausted, a night on the Shrieking Shack floor had not been so restful, though she could admit being in Dracos arms had helped.
"You will" Ron said with a smile, "You are Hermione Granger after all" She grinned at that and swatted him, and he only grinned back.
"You should get some sleep" Harry said kindly, and she tried not to flush that maybe Harry and Ron did know what she was omitting and once again were doing her a kindness, a flash of guilt went through her at the secrets she had kept, why hadn't she trusted them sooner? Even their hatred of Malfoy had never outweighed their love for her.
"I should" She said with a nod, and then without hesitation she pulled Harry first into a hug and then Ron before standing to go for the stairs to her dorm, "Thank you, both of you"
"S'wat friends are for" Ron said with a shrug, "Though I still get first hex if Malfoy is a git to you"
She did laugh at that as he'd said it without malice, and she nodded, "Though you know he actually can't be a git to me, I end up fainting" She said with a grin, and Harry laughed too.
"So dramatic" He mocked, and she rolled her eyes, another yawn, and this time she did turn to the stairs.
Though was stopped again as she heard …
"Let me in now or I swear to god I'll take a match to you"
Draco.
He'd come for her, and was … threatening the Fat Lady?
She quickly swung the portrait open from the inside to avoid any arson, and there he was, glowing just as gold, and bright, she wondered if she looked exhausted as he did, if she still glowed, as he only glanced at Harry and Ron, on their feet now, before he held a hand out to her.
"Didn't we promise a debrief?" He asked gently, and she knew what he was offering, what they both needed more than sleep, and so she nodded, turned to Harry and Ron who both glared at Malfoy, but nodded too, letting her go.
And so she went, out of the portrait, and to take Draco's hand.
And something in her deep down eased, and thrummed as she did.
One soul, she might have been right.
lets just say one of these conversations isn't over
and more is to be revealed, this soul stuff goes deep
do review!