HAVEN | dramione

chapter five: draco

Draco had only one thought on his mind as he healed Hermione Granger: I'm going to kill the son-of-a-bitch who did this to her.

It wasn't an empty threat either; though Draco himself hadn't killed anyone--even during his days as a Death Eater, he was far too frightened to do it--he had seen many others take more lives than he could count. When it came to killing someone, Draco knew exactly how to do it and how to get away with it.

But the problem was, Hermione didn't seem to want to tell exactly what happened.

After ensuring her wounds were healed enough to not put her life in danger, Draco sat her down on the couch again and offered out a cup of tea, which Hermione accepted.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Draco said, leaning forward with his hands interlaced. It was really more to stop himself from hurting his hands even more; by balling up his fists in anger so much, his fingernails had dug into his palms hard enough to draw blood.

Hermione hesitated. She then drew the teacup to her lips and took a sip. "I was attacked."

"No shit, Granger," Draco scoffed and leaned back. "By who?"

"I don't know," Hermione insisted.

"You don't know?" He asked. "Blimey, I think that's the first time I've heard you say that."

"Don't be a prick."

"I'm not being a prick, I'm trying to help you."

"Well, I'm telling you, I don't know who did it," Hermione said. Her voice was shaking now, and Draco cursed himself internally for pushing so hard. But he needed to get to the bottom of this

"Fine. You don't know who did it," Draco relented. He reached out to the side table, where he pulled out a notepad and a quill. "Describe them to me."

"Describe them?"

"I'll sketch them out."

"I didn't know you could draw."

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

"Stop finding distractions and describe your bloody attacker already," Draco glared at her.

"Fine," Hermione huffed. She crossed her arms and leaned back on the couch. "They were tall. I couldn't tell if they were male or female--they had their voice spelled. They wore a dark cloak, so I couldn't figure out their body shape, and they had a hood that covered their face."

Draco began sketching out what she described and within a few moments, had a rough drawing of a hooded figure.

"Well," he said, staring down at his notepad with a frown on his face. "You're right. You really don't know what they look like."

"I told you," Hermione scoffed. "Next time you should believe me."

"Right, whatever," Draco waved a hand, only half-focused on what she was saying. His attention was still on the drawing in front of him, which he softly traced over with a finger. "We have a start. They had to get the cloak from somewhere--do you remember any defining details on it?"

"Just that it was dark," Hermione shrugged. Then she paused. "Wait. The sleeve. I remember there was a logo--" she stopped speaking and instead gestured for the notepad. Draco wordlessly handed it over and watched as Hermione furiously began sketching out something from her memory before giving it back.

The image before Draco sent chills down his spine.

He knew that logo.

It was a front-facing angle of a snake baring its fangs, and the snake's tail wrapped around the head to form a circle. It was the logo for The Spiny Serpent, a shop in Knockturn Alley that specialized in enchanted clothing.

"You're not going to like this," Draco said. He set the notebook aside. "Let me deal with this."

"Are you kidding?" Hermione frowned. She stood up from the couch and took a step toward Draco. "Tell me what the logo means. I'm not weak."

"I never said you're weak, Granger," Draco raised his hands in a defensive position, "I'm just saying this may be above your pay grade."

"What. Is. It."

"The Spiny Serpent," Draco finally said. "A shop in Knockturn Alley."

"I can handle Knockturn Alley," Hermione scoffed. "What kind of witch do you take me for?"

Draco gave her a pointed look. "It's not just any shop in Knockturn Alley. It's members only."

"And I take it you're a member?" Hermione returned his pointed look.

"I used to be," Draco's voice went quiet. He thought back to the times when he was a member at every shop in Knockturn Alley, as was expected of Death Eaters. He had gotten to know most of the shopkeepers down there, and how vicious they were to people who were newcomers. Draco had let go of his membership fees for some of the shops--he was determined to leave that life behind--but his prior relations to the shopkeepers could help him now. "Everyone knows who you are, Granger. You wouldn't make it a step into Knockturn Alley without getting a fate far worse than what your attacker did to you."

"I'll disguise myself then," Hermione shrugged. "Pretend I'm your cousin or something."

Draco gave her another look. "Really? Cousin?"

"Have any better ideas?"

"Fine," Draco rolled his eyes. "It's your life on the line. Do whatever you want."

Hermione paused for a moment and the silence in the room made the hairs on Draco's arms stand up. "Why are you helping me?"

Hermione's question felt like a punch of reality into Draco's stomach.

He hadn't really thought about why he was helping her, he was just acting on instinct. Draco knew that Hermione Granger didn't deserve what had happened to her, and he wanted to do everything possible to make it right.

When Draco's answer came to him, he couldn't bear to look Hermione in the eyes as he spoke. It felt too honest, too raw. But he said it anyway, with his eyes focused on the floor:

"I guess I'm just looking for some redemption."