"What shall we do, Granger?" he asked softly against her ear. "I can either kill them all or let them take me."
Hermione saw the rage in Kingsley's eyes as they stormed forward. Just behind him, she could see Harry trailing along. She held onto his arms, attempting to pull him inside to safety, or at least an illusion of safety, but he stayed unmoving. Confusion washed over her as she looked up at him.
"Go inside, Draco," she sternly demanded.
He didn't look away from her, his face stoic and cold. "You'll watch over them, won't you?"
"Draco, I'm not letting them take you," she began to beg.
His cold hands cupped her face and his thumb brushed against her lips. Hermione didn't think that anyone would have this kind of hold on her. The kind of breathtaking where it reminds you how truly alive you are.
"I wish things were different for you and I," he mumbled, his Occlumency folding under the pressure as the Order came closer. She could tell he had so much to say. "But I feel the pain of this existence was worth it for the short time we've had together. What do you think, Granger?"
It hadn't even been a full year since she was taken by him. And it had been even less time that she had grown to know him as she did now.
"Eternity wouldn't be enough time with you," she whispered, her heart breaking.
Draco smiled softly, "You are everything to me."
"Incarceous!" several voices called from behind her, watching as Draco fell to his knees, his hands being pulled away from her and bound behind his back.
"No!" she yelled, throwing her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead against his, wishing her own arms would be restrained to be taken with him.
"Hermione, step away from him," Harry's voice called to her. "He's dangerous."
To Hermione, Draco was the most gentle person she had known. Perhaps not physically, that wasn't his fault, but upon her mental state he handled her much more delicately than anyone had ever.
"It's okay, baby," he murmured.
"I don't trust them, not with you," she replied, reaching for her wand.
"Don't, Granger. Tori needs you."
"I need you," she pleaded.
"And what will you do? Turn your wands on your friends?"
Hermione froze, not knowing exactly what she would have done. Free him, sure, that was possible, but she wouldn't dare point her wand at Harry, would she? For Draco, she didn't know what extent she would go to.
"Let me just release your binds," she argued.
"Don't be stupid. Use your big brain. I broke Weasley's arm, they're scared of me, but they also need me to end the war. Nothing bad will happen, I promise you."
Kingsley and Harry were now only a few paces away, wands pointed at Draco. Hermione knew exactly why she couldn't think clearly now, it was all because the fear of losing Draco was too overwhelming. She turned to face them, and Harry pushed past everyone to make his way towards her.
"Hermione, he attacked Ron. Snapped his arm clean in half," Harry frantically pleaded with her.
As he approached, she stepped between Draco and Harry, creating a barrier with her own body. "Ron grabbed my wrist."
"Hermione," Harry said, letting his wand fall to his side. "That isn't a normal response, you realize that, right?"
Draco laughed audibly, nearly growling, "And if someone were to lay a hand on dear Ginerva, you'd let them get away with that?"
That struck a nerve with Harry, and his knuckles became white as he gripped his wand tight, but still kept it at his side. That was something she always admired about him, how he learned to control his temper, not letting the carnage of war make him angry or bitter. "He did it because he's worried about you. We're all worried about you."
Another devilish laugh came from Draco as Kingsley came closer. "Not Shacklebolt, he's scared you'll whisk me away before they can use me for the final hurrah. But don't worry about that, I wouldn't leave you, good pal. I want to see that fucker die too."
"Detain him," Kingsley spat, and several Order members approached cautiously. Draco was brought to his feet, but Hermione held onto him.
"Let him go!" she yelled. But no one listened to her, they pulled him away as Draco murmured to her over and over that it would be okay until they Apparated away.
"Granger," Kingsley drew her attention away from the emptiness in front of her. "This is getting out of hand. You can't quite possibly believe he can evade the consequences of his actions do you? You of all people should know the damage he's done is beyond repair. Your orders are to find a cure and administer it to him after Voldemort is dead."
"My orders? Last I checked, I was relieved from duty. I don't have to do shit for you nor do I owe you anything," she snapped.
"Are you saying you are aiding a war criminal, Granger?" he asked, shocked at her defiance. No longer was she the ideal soldier for his war, a pawn willing to do as he wished. For the first time, she was putting herself before the rest. Draco had shown her that she was allowed to be selfish and that didn't make her a bad person, it made her human.
As she stepped towards him, revving up the slew of statements she had at the tip of her tongue, Harry reached out and stopped her. "Kingsley, she's going through a lot right now. Let her cool off. She'll get it done."
Though that was far from what she wanted to say, but she let him speak for her while she let her monster settle, her anger was too much to be rational. All she could think about doing was tearing into Kingsley, grabbing Draco, and leaving this all behind them. Fuck seeing the end of the war through if it meant she couldn't have him.
Kingsley shook his head in disapproval, walking away from them followed by several Order members. Hermione almost followed to demand that she be taken to Draco, but Harry wrapped his arms around her.
"It's going to be okay, Hermione. I promise."
"Where are they taking him?" she asked, trying to keep her guard up, but faltering in Harry's arms. His arms felt like a distant home. One she was so nostalgic for but had outgrown.
"To a holding cell for everyone's safety," Harry assured. "For his too. You both just need to hold out for a few more weeks. I know we're all getting antsy, but I can see the end, Hermione. Can you see it too?"
Many of the things she wanted in life had been stripped away from her. She had dreams of pursuing a demanding career that would keep her mind busy until the end of her days, but she still hadn't even finished school or even knew when that would be a possibility.
What she wanted now looked a lot different. It wasn't goal oriented or even planned out fully, which was incredibly uncharacteristic of her. All she wanted was to give Draco, Astoria, and Daphne and life they deserved. One full of love and happiness, something they so desperately needed.
A life where they were human and were allowed to be human.
"I can, Harry," she said, thinking of the damn cure and how quickly she needed to work.
"When you see it, am I there? Me, Gin and the kids?" he asked.
Tears spilled from her eyes, "I want it to, Harry. I really do. But I can't have it all, can I? They all want him dead. I have to take him away from here."
"We'll figure this out, Hermione. I promise you. Just, don't leave."
She wished so desperately to believe every word, but she couldn't. Harry was always so idealistic and righteous, thinking that there was a world where they would all be happy together. His arms were still tightly wrapped around her, his hand on the back of her head, holding her to his chest.
In a past life, she'd put all of her faith in him, trust him blindly, and do anything to ensure he had her full support. That was no longer this life.
"I love you, Harry," she whispered.
Harry pulled away, holding her at an arm's length. His green eyes were full of comfort and familiarity. She wondered if Draco's eyes would revert back to the blue they were so long ago and if she would still find the same solace his silver eyes offered her now.
"I love you, Hermione. Gin loves you, the kids do too. I know I made some horrible mistakes, I regret every one of them. I feel like I've pushed you to the conclusion you feel you must take."
She almost wanted to laugh through her teary eyes. Blame hadn't been placed upon Harry for so long. If anything, she put fault on herself for becoming so enamored by the vampire.
"It was your doing that I ended up with him, but it wasn't final factor. You had no idea what was going to happen, I don't think anyone did," she chuckled under her breath, like she couldn't believe the situation at hand any longer. "He's so much like you Harry. I wish you could see it."
"Maybe we are, as much as I hate to admit it. But if you see something redeemable in him, he should be given a chance," he sighed.
"Help him, Harry," Hermione pleaded. "He's scared."
"I'll try my best."
—
After a few long days, Draco was allowed visitors. Hermione approached the cellar of the old pub where Ritchie Coot and Jimmy Peaks were standing guard. She greeted them with a quick hug each, having not seen them for months now. They led her to one of the several rooms that were used as prison cells to detain those they've captured. Each one was enchanted with spells that suppressed the use of magic and were nearly impossible to escape. Hermione herself had enchanted many herself. When they opened the door, she nearly ran in to greet Draco.
"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at him through the bars, attempting to suppress the flooding image of Narcissa kept in a similar fashion until she lost her mind.
"I'm just fine. How are you doing, baby? How's everyone?" he asked in response, his white hair falling in front of his eyes. It was clear he wasn't okay. He looked tired, and worst yet, hungry.
"They're good," she said, observing him closely. She turned to Ritchie and Jimmy who stood in the door frame. "Has he been given any blood?" she asked, pushing away her feelings of frustration.
"He's been fed three meals a day along with all the others," Ritchie replied.
Hermione crossed her arms, shaking her head. "That doesn't sustain him."
"It's not our fault he won't eat it and we can't just give him blood, Mione. That's just fucked," Jimmy sighed.
"Let me in there then," Hermione demanded. "He has to eat or he'll go mad."
Ritchie's look of bewilderment made a slight smirk creep on her lips. They were both stunned at her request, as they feared the vampire and couldn't believe she wanted to be trapped in the cage with him.
"We can't do that, Hermione," Ritchie sputtered.
"What is it? Do you not trust him? Or do you not trust me?" she asked, her fingers tapping impatiently.
Jimmy began to speak uneasily. "Mione, you know…"
"Let me in there, Jimmy. Please, he needs to eat. He won't be worth shit to the Order if he's starved," she pleaded, her voice forceful.
The pair whispered to one another, debating on what they should do and who they should call. It was grating on her nerves, and she couldn't wait any longer, watching as Draco shakily stood and made his way to the cold metal that held him captive. His pale fingers wrapped around the bars, and he moved his face between them to come closer to her. Hermione reached through, resting her hand against his cold cheek. Draco sighed out, nearly sounding relieved to be in contact with her again.
He kissed the palm of her hand, holding it tightly in his own. "I'm okay, really. I can go a few more days."
"Don't be stupid," she snapped. "You'll end up hurting someone else in a few days time. And then it will be worse for us."
Draco looked her directly in the eyes, a sense of haste and urgency about him. "You've done enough for me."
"Oh for fuck sake, Draco. Just get on with it," she spat, shaking her hand as if to offer it to him. The pleased look on his face bored into her skull, satisfying her own monster's desires to be needed.
"So bossy today, Granger," he smirked, kissing her wrist.
Jimmy cleared his throat awkwardly, "Um, we aren't supposed to let you touch,"
"Are you going to stop me?" Hermione asked rhetorically, knowing that the timid men would not stop either of them. They both stepped back, used to taking orders from Hermione and seeing her as their superior. "Wait outside the room then."
After the door closed behind them, she turned back to Draco, who was grinning. His fangs looked ready to bite into her. "Merlin, I've missed you."
The cold press of his tongue against her wrist made her knees buckle. It was almost addicting to feel the excitement and anticipation before he would feed upon her blood. It was dangerous, but watching him restrain himself made her feel an importance that expanded beyond anything else in this world.
"We'll get you back soon," she assured. Though the conditions ge was being kept under were clean and humane, but the decline in his appearance in just a few days was concerning. "Harry and I are working on it. Don't worry, just eat."
"Did you miss me, Granger?" he asked, his lips pressed against her arm.
"Don't ask silly questions, you're just delaying the inevitable," she demanded.
He chuckled softly, "I just want to hear your pretty voice, my love. Can you talk to me? Tell me how everyone is doing."
As her lips opened to begin speaking, Draco sank his fangs into her wrist, the sharp pain making her jerk slightly. She spilled out into his mouth, and his lips latched onto the open wounds, his tongue greedily lapping up every drop that fell.
"Astoria.., fuck… Astoria is…" Hermione sputtered. She couldn't think, the blood rushing from her head to her arm. With each drink he took, her heart fluttered.
For just a moment, his lips released from her flesh. "Speak, Granger."
Like a dog, she obeyed. Hermione, through heavy breaths, told him that Astoria had been well and was eating regularly. Her mood and demeanor, though negatively impacted by Draco's absence, had improved since Pansy's arrival. She also informed him of Theodore's ongoing physical therapy with Luna and how quickly he had been adapting to his new prosthetic. By the time she was done delivering the news he wished to hear, he had unhinged himself and had licked away the blood from her arm.
A dizziness filled her head and she pulled her hand back, looking at the two small wounds surrounding my teeth marks. Bruising had already begun to set in, turning her pale skin a green and purple hue.
"You taste so fucking good," he mumbled as she reached up to kiss him. His lips tasted of iron and he breathed out the familiar scent of spearmint into her lungs. After pulling away, she looked into his silver eyes that were more alert than minutes before. "Thank you, baby. I feel much better. And I am glad everyone else is doing well too."
The entrance creaked with the sound of interruption, Hermione knew her time was running low. With a final quick kiss, she backed away, leaving him in the cell.
—
Astoria, Daphne, and Theodore visited Draco over the next few days while Hermione diligently worked. She needed to find the cure, not only was she pressured to make sure Astoria was okay by the time they left, Kingsley was also putting a hard deadline she had to meet. Though she couldn't care what he had to say about what she did, Harry advised her to keep in line for the time being if there was any hope Draco would be released.
They were just as bad as Voldemort, holding him in a cage until he was useful to them. It angered her beyond belief, knowing that they'd use him as a weapon because they suffered from the same carnage.
Hermione was running out of amplification and enhancement spells to try to effectively. For a few of her more promising batches, she administered them to Astoria. At first, it seemed promising, her skin was warm and her heart rate increased, but it would only last a few hours at most. The elixir of every carefully calculated ingredient and expertly cast charm wouldn't last long enough to cure every blood cell, allowing the curse to fester and take over once more. After the most recent failed attempt, Hermione sighed, setting her stethoscope down in frustration.
"It's getting so close," Astoria attempted to assure her with a smile. "For half a day I didn't want to bite your pretty face."
Hermione began to draw Astoria's blood to check the counts. "I'm sorry, Astoria. The cure, it's just not strong enough. There could be a multitude of reasons, either how it's administered or not having the correct enchantments. It's dissipating before it can take full effect."
"Don't be sorry, silly. It's not your fault," Astoria replied. "There's so much pressure on you. I wish there wasn't. I wish you were allowed to just be a person sometimes. They all treat you like a machine. Even Draco does at times."
"It's okay, Astoria. I chose this, and I can deal with it," Hermione said, though unsure of how true it was at the current moment.
"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should," Astoria softly sighed.
"For you, I'd endure much worse," Hermione smiled, wrapping an arm around her thin frame.
Astoria rested her head against her shoulder. "Well, at least when it's done, you and Draco won't have to worry about me anymore. I'll be all fixed from all the blood curses I've had. Maybe I should try lycanthropy after this so I can get the full experience."
They both burst into a fit of laughter, something that Hermione felt she hadn't done in days. They laughed so loudly that they rattled the glassware on the tables behind them. And they continued until tears fell from their face and their cheeks hurt from smiling, finally calming down when Daphne entered the tent with a confused look.
"What's so funny, you too?" she asked, walking over to the pair and resting her head on Hermione's other shoulder. Hermione wrapped her other arm around Daphne, holding both Greengrass sisters close.
"Nothing, don't be nosy, Daph," Astoria teased. Daphne snorted, amused at the situation.
"Whatever," she smirked. "Anyways, Teddy and I just saw Draco. Her brought him some new clothes, but he's in dire need of a haircut and possibly a snack. Hermione, would you be a dear and go and help?"
She nodded, pulling a cloak over her wool sweater made her way outside. When Hermione arrived at the old pub, Ritchie met her at the entrance. He placed a bracelet around her wrist that allowed her to enter Draco's cell freely without them risking Draco escaping if they were to open the bars.
"Moody gave the okay for you to go in there and let him eat," he said as he unlocked the cellar that led to the captive prisoners of war. "But try to be careful, Hermione."
Hermione nodded and made her way down the narrow staircase, ducking her head down to avoid the low ceiling. Quickly, she made her way to the last door at the end of the cramped basement, a giddy excitement in almost every step.
"There's so fucking way she let you drink from her willingly. Hermione wouldn't do anything like that," Ron's voice annoyingly spoke from the other side of the wall. Hermione's bright demeanor vanished. She turned and walked away, not wanting to see him, but wondering why the hell he was here.
"Have you ever tried asking her nicely? She's quite agreeable if you throw a 'please' every so often," Draco slyly replied.
Ron scoffed. "She's stubborn, that one. Least agreeable person. How the fuck did she manage to fall for your fucking ruse?"
"Are you so sure, Weasley? It hasn't taken me much to make her sing like a siren."
She could hear the taunting of Draco's tone, knowing he was trying to drive Ron insane with jealousy. It seemed less and less like it was rooted in his own hatred of him, but to retaliate for his discretions towards her.
"Shut up, will you?" Ron muttered. "I'm only here so I know you won't kill her."
Draco chuckled, "I won't do anything to her that she won't beg me for."
Hermione couldn't help but smile, hearing Ron become flustered. It was her turn to finally make him feel the same sense of rejection she had felt for years. At one point, her world revolved around him until he broke her heart, killing a piece of her in the process. His infidelity not only took away her small bit of comfort in the world, but a family that he brought with him. She was so alone until Draco replaced everything she was missing with such care and ease.
When she came to him, her heart was in jagged pieces, but he meticulously placed them back together, not caring if they cut his fingers in the process.
Pushing through the door, she ignored Ron's presence and walked straight towards the cell that held her love captive. There was no hesitation, no fear that he would rip her apart as so many others have done.
"There's my girl," he beamed from the back of the cell, sitting on the small wooden bench along the wall. His hand had gotten longer, she thought it didn't look too bad. It had an allure that drew her in, covering his silver eyes slightly, masking his face in white strands. Hermione blushed, moving her own hair to the side and removing her cloak. She wouldn't be offering him just her wrist today.
Without prompting, she sat on his lap, facing out to look Ron in the eyes beyond the bars of the cell. Draco kissed her temple and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Hello beautiful," he softly said, giving her a slight squeeze. Ron shook his head, his foot tapping against the stone floor anxiously, muttering to himself.
"Hi Draco, are you hungry?" she asked him in the most pleasant and soft voice she could.
"Starved," he mumbled, smirking as he kissed her cheek, causing Ron to stir further. "Weasley, how could you say she's the least agreeable person when she's so sweet like this?"
Ron exhaled from his nose. "Everything she does now is to spite me."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "To spite you or to please me?"
"Oh fuck off, the both of ya. Just get on with it and leave, Mione," Ron groaned.
Hermione, trying not to laugh, argued back. "This isn't something we can rush, I'll pass out if we go too quickly."
"It's like you didn't listen. What did I tell you about saying please?" Draco chuckled and reached up to hold her face with his hand, his fingers gently pressed into her cheeks as his palm rested under her chin. "Baby, would you pretty please stick out your tongue?"
Hermione obliged, letting her tongue fall over her bottom lip. They both were childishly taunting him now, but for some reason, didn't feel like enough punishment for every time she sat at the Burrow and watched him dote on the woman he had an affair with. Draco shook her head gently back and forth in a manner that was meant to tempt the wizard on the other side of the barrier.
"Good girl," he mumbled to her. "Isn't she just the cutest thing? I really can't believe you made the mistake of letting her go. She smells like vanilla cake for fuck sake." Draco tilted her head to the side, kissing his cold lips to her pulse point. "I'd look away, Weasley. You may not like what you see."
Draco raked his teeth against her neck, and she let out a gasp as she feels his sharp teeth.
"Oh, I'd cover your ears too," he added, his lips bushing her skin as he spoke. The feeling of his cold breath was intoxicating, nearly making her forget Ron was standing just feet from them.
When his fangs pressed against her, she moved to push into him, but he held her still.
"Patience, Granger. I want to enjoy you," he whispered. His tongue, wet and frigid, licked where he had bitten her previously. She involuntarily moaned, moving herself closer. Her eyes were completely closed now, and she waited with bated breath for his next move. The sound of the door slamming didn't even phase her, she was fully consumed by Draco, her senses belonging to him.
And as he sank his fangs into her, she yelled loudly, loud enough she was sure everyone in the building could have heard her. There wasn't a care in the world if they did, she wanted them to. Heavy breaths escaped her lips with every drink he took from her. Each one was expertly spaced apart, timed with every beat of her heart.
His hand roamed over her breast, squeezing it softly through her wool sweater. Drinking blood wasn't inherently erotic to her, but knowing he craved her so deeply made her entire body desperate for him. She understood that the only reason why they were able to go to such lengths was because he couldn't kill her. Killing her would have been a greater sin than anything he had ever done before.
The soft hum and murmurs on her neck drive her into her own type of frenzy. It was a hunger for him that couldn't be satiated unless she was completely taken by him. She coated her hand with the blood that had dripped from her neck and reached back behind her, finding his semi-erect cock and pulling on it gently. He held her closer now, his mumbling on her skin becoming more erratic.
It was a matter of seconds until he became fully hard, throbbing as she tightened her hand to feel every slow pulse, coating his cock in her blood.
His lips trailed upwards, moving along her face, kissing his bloodied lips across her cheek and to her ear. "Harder, Granger. Grip it harder."
With all the strength she could, she latched onto him, squeezing until her nails dug into his skin. A low growl vibrated from his throat as his fingers moved to fumble with the button on her jeans. Draco slipped her pants halfway down her thighs and hooked his arm under her knees, holding them together.
His lips moved back her bleeding neck, lifting her up slightly and positioning her over his cock. When he began to lower her onto his erection, she tensed her body, feeling the head push through her opening. She could feel herself stretching to fit him inside her, as if puzzle pieces were fitting together to create a beautiful picture.
"Fucking hell," he grumbled after half his length made it inside. "You're so fucking tight, baby."
After lowering her fully over himself, he moaned deeply against her neck, still holding her underneath her legs. And as if she were a toy for him to use, he began moving her up and down as he took more of her blood. It was heavenly to be held so delicately while being fucked like a whore. If the door were to open, the first thing visible would be her cunt sliding over his blood coated cock. She didn't care though, she almost wished Ron would walk in and see how much Draco was pleasing her.
"Shh…" he whispered, his wet lips pressed against her ear. "I don't want to be interrupted."
"You're going to let little Ronald ruin your fun?" she asked breathily as he continued to move her whole body to bring them both pleasure. "You'd better not stop, let him see for all I care."
"You're mine, Granger. No one will lay eyes on you but me."
Draco slammed her down hard onto his lap, pulling her cloak over them as the door opened and Ron barged in. She could feel his cock twitch, still rock hard and deep inside her.
"We're still busy, Weasley," Draco barked at him. Hermione clenched down on his cock, wishing he wouldn't care about the presence of another in the room and begin fucking her in front of him.
"You're going to bleed her dry," Ron scoffed. "You've made a mess of her already."
It wasn't an incorrect observation, her hand and face were covered in blood and she was being fucked senseless. Draco shifted subtly, the head of his cock pushing on the spot where she found the most pleasure. She wanted to scream out, but bit her tongue and held a straight face as she dripped onto his lap.
"What if I asked him to drain me? What would you do about it?" Hermione jeered as Draco kissed her neck.
"Oh fuck off. I'm done," he replied, turning away. "Clearly that fucker won't kill you. He's way too fucking obsessed. You two deserve each other. Both fucked up."
Immediately after Ron left, Draco held onto Hermione's waist and bounced her onto his cock that was throbbing hard enough she thought it might explode. Each time their bodies met, he bretahed out into her ear in desperation. The digging of his fingers into her sides was a clear indication of how close he was getting to the edge, not realizing how hard he was handling her.
"Cum on my cock. Please. I need to feel you cum," he whimpered in her ear. "Please, baby."
It took only seconds longer for the momentum to build, her whole body tensed. Her vision was blurring as she mumbled out, not able to speak clearly, but he understood because as her eyes rolled back, he came deep inside her with a gutteral groan into her hair. They sat, still attached for several seconds, holding each other. After they both caught their breath, he sat Hermione on the bench, and got on one knee before her.
"I did make a mess of you, didn't I?" he said, brushing the hair away from her blood-covered face. His eyes lingered at her throat, a ook of shame and sadness overcoming him. But it wasn't something she wanted to see, she needed him to realize that as painful as it was, she wanted it.
"Clean me up, then," she whispered in a low tone. His eyes flicked up to look into hers, the shame changing to curiosity. His hand went to her cheek as he licked up the blood on the other side of her face, sucking on her ear lobe, and slowly moving towards her neck. After every drop had been cleaned, his fingers looped in her waistband of her pants that wes still hanging around her thighs. He slowly pulled them away, tossing them to the side and spreading her legs open. Dripping from her onto the floor was blood and his cum,
Draco wrapped his arms under her thighs, bringing her close to his face His cold tongue licked the span from her asshole to her clit, picking up the mess he had made along the path. It soothed her soreness she felt often after they fucked, the iciness of his saliiva almost numbing. His eyes looked indirectly into her as he lapped up everything, ensuring she was sufficiently taken care of. His tongue explored every crevice and crease, making sure to take time at the points in where she moaned the most. After he finished, he pulled her pants back on and brought his face to hers. The smell of iron wafted from his breath onto her lips, and she leaned forward, hungrily kissing him, wanting to taste what he had. It was salty, bitter, and addicting.
It wasn't enough, but it had to be for now.
"I love you," she said softly,
"I know, baby," he replied. "You are everything to me."
Leaving him in there no longer made her sad. It was rage-inducing. It was a punishment for her as well, she knew that for a fact. They were punishing her for falling in love with him. For letting herself be selfish and not think of the Order first. And they were all suffering because of it. They were days out now from executing their final takeover of the Ministry, giving her only that much time to find the cure and make sure she wasn't leaving any loose ties. She couldn't rely on George or Harry any longer to help them. She and Draco were the only ones she could trust.
Though exhausted, Hermione angrily marched into her workshop. She reviewed every note and book she had over and over until her head spun and the words blurred. Her eyes began to strain from testing her latest formulations on Astoria's blood. It seemed like no matter what incantation she uttered, the antidote would be immediately broken down or metabolized.
Draco. Astoria. The cure. The war. It was all so suffocating.
As she sat in frustration over numerous failed trials of Draco and Astoria's blood, she clenched her fist that held the glass vial full of months of work that had led to nothing but failure. It shattered so easily, creating a deep cut across her palm. The contents of the vial spilled from her hand, making her skin hot and stinging. The mixture of blood and the elixir dripped onto the plates, butt Hermione couldn't give a single fuck. The pain of the shards of glass was nothing in comparison to the pain of having failed over and over. She and Draco had nearly died attempting to obtain the ingredients she was now running out of.
"Fuck!" she yelled into the sleeve of her sweater, attempting to quell the tears of frustration. Her breaths were erratic and she attempted to calm herself, unable to focus on the task at hand.
"Hermione? Theodore's voice called from the entrance of her workshop. "Everything okay?"
She sniffled, drying her eyes quickly. Before turning around. "Yes, I just had an accident. Contaminated the tests with my own blood, I'm going to have to restart."
The frustration she was experiencing morphed into a sadness that felt unmanageable. Restarting when she felt she was so close seemed like a nightmare she didn't want to through. A sob began to form in her chest, Theodore approached her slowly, taking her into an embrace as she sobbed into his cloak.
"There, there," he whispered. "Hey, maybe it's not all ruined. Can I check it out to see?"
Hermione nodded, steadying her hands and removing the pieces of glass from the petri dish and putting a small drop on the slide to humor Theodore, who she knew was just trying to comfort her. He sat at the microscope, peering through it and moving the stage around to observe. Hermione stood next to him, waiting for him to finish.
"You sure this isn't just your blood?" he asked, confused. "This just looks like human blood."
"That's Astoria's blood," Hermione replied, curious as he stepped away for her to look at the microscope slide. She scanned over every blood cell, not finding a singular one infected. She quickly made several more slides, checking all of the contents of the Petri dish containing the mix of her own blood with the cure and Astoria's.
"Hermione, what's going on?" Theodore asked anxiously, seeing how frantic Hermione was.
"I'm so stupid," she muttered to herself. "How did I not realize that blood would have prevented the cure from metabolizing too quickly and would endure adequate administration of the active ingredients?"
Hermione grabbed every item needed and began to mix them precisely as she had done before, using the last of the ingredients she had stored away. After several more tests, she was confident of what she needed to do, ensuring there was enough for both Astoria and Draco. She rushed to Astoria, who was sitting on the couch in the living room with Daphne.
"I figured it out," Hermione smiled brightly, a revitalized hope she was longing for. "You're going to be cured, Astoria."