T/W: dissociation and self-harm.
By the end of the week, Hermione was exhausted. She had thrown herself entirely into every aspect of her studies, determined to stay ahead of her rigorous coursework, while fully embracing her new responsibilities as assistant professor in Professor Brindlemore's Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. By the time Friday afternoon came around, Hermione couldn't wait to get down to Hagrid's and greet the visiting Weasley.
The day before, Hagrid had informed Hermione that Charlie would be arriving with the baby Hungarian Horntail on Friday morning. And after finally making it through her classes for the day, she hurried out of the castle. The crisp autumn air nipped at her cheeks as she made her way down the winding path towards Hagrid's hut, the familiar scent of damp earth and pine needles filling her senses.
As Hermione approached Hagrid's hut, the unmistakable sound of deep, gruff laughter drifted through the air. Smoke curled lazily from the chimney and she could see the flicker of firelight spilling through the windows, casting warm, golden patterns on the surrounding trees. Not far from the hut, stood three figures that she immediately identified as Hagrid, Charlie and Theo. Upon reaching the group, she caugh Hagrid's eye. "Bout time you got here, Hermione!" he boomed. "Charlie's being showin' me and Mr Nott a few tricks fer keppin' this little one calm. A real handful, she is, but magnificent, just magnificent!"
Hermione greeted Hagrid happily and cast her gaze over to the baby dragon. The enchanting creature was covered in opalescent scales that shimmered in the lowering sunlight. The namesake horns protruded from her head, small and not yet sharp but her piercing yellow eyes hinted at her future ability to be a terrifying predator. Theo was feeding the dragon some kind of tiny dead animal, beaming excitedly as the dragon accepted it, tossing it into the air before swallowing it whole.
"Hermione Granger," she heard a familiar voice greet her.
"Charlie Weasley!" she responded, greeting him with a hug which her returned with a kiss on the cheek.
"How's the dragon Theo?" Hermione called out to the Slytherin.
"Incredible! Just incredible," Theo replied, reaching for another piece of food. Hermione chuckled, impressed by how easily Theo had stepped into his new role. While Hermione had found her role in assisting Professor Brindlemore fairly manageable, she still hadn't thought of a single idea as to what she wanted to teach the class of second years in just over a week.
As Hermione watched Theo interact with the baby Hungarian Horntail, she couldn't help but smile. For all his sharp edges and Slytherin coolness, Theo looked completely enthralled, his usual stoicism replaced with a boyish enthusiasm that she had never seen in him before. The dragon, seemingly sensing his calm demeanour, flared her tiny wings before letting out a soft trill, a surprisingly melodic sound that made everyone pause in admiration.
"She's taken a real liking to Theo," Charlie remarked with a grin, crossing his arms as he observed the interaction. "Dragons are intuitive creatures. They sense emotions – fear, confidence, even kindness. You're a natural Theo." Theo flushed slightly under the compliment but didn't look up, instead, offering the dragon another morsel, his hand steady even as her sharp teeth snapped it away.
"Charlie's right," Hagrid added. "It's no small thing getting' a Horntail to trust yeh."
When Theo finished feeding the dragon her supper, Hagrid characteristically invited the group in for tea. Theo attempted to decline, suggesting that he should be returning to his dorm before dinner but Hermione insisted he stay. She had developed a soft spot for the Slytherin, who was still intent on sleeping in the common area for Hermione and Malfoy's safety.
The group remained at Hagrid's hut until long after the sun had set. At some point, Charlie brought out a series of Romanian delicacies and after that, there didn't really seem to be a need to hurry back to the castle for dinner. Hermione felt comfort in Charlie's familiar presence, even if his red hair and pale speckled face did make her feel a little homesick. Hermione was relieved to remember that she'd be seeing Harry and Ron on the weekend. Her friends had organised a low-key birthday celebration for her at The Three Broomsticks and while Hermione didn't really want to make a big deal of her birthday, she did appreciate the excuse to see her friends.
Eventually, Hermione found herself unable to supress her yawns any further. She bid the group farewell, extending an invitation for Charlie to attend her birthday gathering, should he find himself looking for something to do. And as she opened the door to leave, she chuckled as Theo insisted that he'd be "right behind her" after he finished asking Charlie "just one last question."
When Hermione made it back to her dormitory, she could hardly wait to climb under the covers and sleep the following morning away. So, she was disappointed to hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom, indicating that Malfoy was currently occupying the space.
For a brief moment, she considered foregoing a shower and she even considered not brushing her teeth. But the dentists' daughter in her insisted otherwise, so she sat patiently on the chaise to wait for him to be done. Hermione and Malfoy hadn't spoken much since their last encounter on the balcony. They exchanged short words about prefect duty rosters and meetings with McGonagall, but beyond that, they were as cold to each other as usual.
Hermione tapped her fingers on the arm of the chaise, her irritation growing as the minutes stretched on. The sound of running water was incessant and there seemed to be no sign of Malfoy finishing anytime soon. She glanced at the clock and frowned – how long could he possibly take?
Finally, her patience snapped. She stood and marched towards the bathroom door, knocking firmly. "Malfoy! You've been in there for ages," she called through the closed door. "Some of us would like to get ready for bed, you know."
There was no response.
Hermione huffed, knocking again, louder this time. "Malfoy, come on! You don't own the bathroom!"
Still nothing.
She pressed her ear to the door but couldn't hear anything beyond the rushing water. "Malfoy, seriously. If you keep ignoring me, I'm just going to come in."
Silence.
Rolling her eyes, she reached for her wand and mumbled a quick alohomora at the lock on the bathroom door. The lock clicked open and she pressed the door ajar, stepping inside. The humidity of the room hit her like a wall. It was hot. Boiling hot. Steam covered every inch of the bathroom leaving miniscule droplets of water on every surface.
Hermione's annoyance gave way to concern as she attempted to glare through the steam. "Malfoy?" she questioned, confused. "What the hell are you doing in here?"
Again, no response.
As the steam began to dissipate, escaping out of the bathroom door, Hermione's vision became clearer. Her heart began to race and she turned towards the shower and made out Malfoy's silhouette. He was sitting on the tiled floor, the water cascading pointlessly over him. His head was bowed, his shoulders slumped.
"Malfoy?" Hermione's voice was barely above a whisper now. He remined silent. She stepped closer and noticed something on the floor beside him – thin trails of red swirling into the drain. Her breath caught in her throat as the realisation struck her.
And suddenly, she didn't care that she was invading his privacy – that he was very clearly naked. She yanked the shower door open. More steam escaped the glass space and she flinched as the boiling hot water singed her skin. She hit the tap, ceasing the water from flowing.
Malfoy didn't even flinch at her intrusion. He just sat there, his arms resting on his knees, his wrists tilted upward. His skin was bright red and he radiated a painful heat. On his left forearm, she caught sight of an unmistakable cut marking his pale skin. It ran from his wrist to his elbow, slicing through the dark mark that still tainted the area.
"Draco," she breathed, her voice trembling as she knelt beside him. She reached for his wrist, gently cradling it as she inspected the wound. "What have you done?"
He didn't look at her. His gaze was distant, fixed somewhere far away, as if he couldn't even register her presence. His lips were parted slightly, but no sound came out. Hermione felt a surge of panic but she forced herself to stay calm. She accioed a towel from outside the bathroom and wrapped it around his frame. Malfoy flinched briefly at her touch but remained silent, his gaze transfixed ahead. Blood continued to flow from the wound and as Hermione went to reach for his wrist to perform a healing spell, the door to the bathroom suddenly slammed against the wall with a deafening crack. Hermione jumped and her gaze shot towards the entrance. Theo stood in the doorway; his eyes wide as he took in the scene before him.
"What the fuck are you doing? Theo barked, rushing towards them. His usual cool demeanour was nowhere to be seen, replaced by unbridled anger and what may have been considered fear.
"I found him like this," Hermione responded. "He- he's hurt, I was trying to help."
Theo stepped into the shower and took Hermione's place, keeling beside his friend. Hermione backed away into the corner, the front of her uniform was soaked with water and she became suddenly aware of the blood that covered her knees. His blood. "You shouldn't have touched him," Theo snapped, bringing her focus back to the scene in front of her. "Do you have any idea what you've walked into?"
Hermione faltered, her voice shaking. "He wasn't answering me. The door was locked – what was I supposed to do? Just leave him?"
"Yes!" The shot back sharply. "You should have come and gotten me, the second you realised something was wrong."
"I wasn't going to just leave him there to bleed," she countered.
"I thought that after last time you would have been smarter than this," Theo retorted. "You have no idea of the danger you just put yourself in."
With his wand pointed at Malfoys arm, Theo began to recite a series of healing spells. Hermione stepped outside of the shower and passed Theo another towel which he placed over his friend's lap in hope of helping him retain some semblance of dignity. "I should go and get Madam Pomfrey," she said softly, noticing that Malfoy was no closer to returning to his usual self.
"No." Theo snapped. "Don't even think about it. I can handle this."
Hermione took a step back, her heart racing. Theo's reaction was more than just concern – it was rooted in something deeper, something she hadn't been privy to. Her eyes narrowed as realisation struck. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened, is it?" she asked, her voice low. Theo stiffened but didn't answer. His jaw clenched and he continued working, conjuring a bandage out of the bloodied towel, wrapping it tightly around Malfoy's arm. "You've delt with this before."
Theo finally turned to her, his expression dark and full of warning. "This isn't your problem, Granger. Just fuck off and let me deal with this."
"Or, you could let me help–" she retorted.
"Fuck. Off. Granger," he repeated firmly.
Hermione stared at him, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find the right words. She wanted to argue, to demand answers, but the raw fury and protectiveness in Theo's expression stopped her. He wasn't just angry – he was scared.
"If he's not healed and in bed in the next half hour, I'm going to get Madam Pomfrey," she warned, turning towards the bathroom door. Theo's eyes narrowed dangerously but he didn't respond. Hermione hesitated for a moment longer, then turned and walked out of the bathroom.
As she stood in the hallway, drenched and shaken, her mind swirled. She cast a cleaning charm, ridding her body of the damp clothes that were sticking to her and cleansing her of Malfoy's blood which had begun to dry to her skin. And as Hermione walked towards her bedroom, her arm began to seer with the pain she had expected from the moment she found him.