Carpathian

Friday, 12:58 am

CONTENT WARNING: BLOOD AND GRAPHIC INJURY

Hermione screamed. She couldn't think straight. Could hardly even see straight.

"Draco? Draco!"

His face winced in pain. Blood spilt onto his fingers.

Toma took one step forward and Hermione had had more than enough.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

The street exploded at Toma's feet, sending him skyward. With a cracking thud, Toma crashed onto the ground, and he rendered still at the impact. Hermione didn't care how bad she hurt him. Not after this.

She leaned over Draco and added pressure to the split open wound. Everything was a blur. She reached for her beaded bag, hoping for some useful potion, but nothing was around her wrist. Curse it, curse it, curse it. When had Hermione last seen it? Her last conscious memory of her trusted beaded bag had been at the sanctuary.

"Granger?"

Her breathing hitched at the mere utterance of her name.

"I'm here, Draco. I'm here." She paid little mind to the fights still waging a stone's throw away. "What curse did he strike you with? Did you hear it?"

Draco clamped his side tighter. "Are you okay?"

"What?"

"I asked if you're okay."

She half choked, half laughed her response. "You're the one who Apparated in front of a mysterious Dark hex, yet you're asking me if I'm okay?"

Draco tried to sit up, but Hermione urged him back down. She tore off the bottom of her shirt and wrapped it tight around Draco's torso.

"Damn. If I had known that all it would take to get you undressed was a measly little curse, I would have done this days ago."

Hermione gave her head a disapproving tilt. "No more jokes until you're healed."

"I'm fine."

"You're bleeding!"

"No shit." He looked at where the blood already seeped through the fresh fabric. "But what's one more scar?"

Draco attempted to sit up again, but Hermione once more guided him toward the ground. "You should stay laying—"

He moved her hand off his shoulder. "I'm not done with this fucker."

Face screwed tight, Draco pushed himself upward. He staggered with his first step and Hermione had to catch him from falling.

"I'm fine," he insisted, but Hermione never stayed more than a step behind him as Draco hobbled towards Toma.

Consciousness had slowly returned to Toma's body but came back in full force when he noticed Draco. Toma scrambled for his wand, a mere arm's length away, yet not fast enough. He cried out in pain when his fingers were cut short, crushed underneath the weight of Draco's boot.

Breaking bone cracked under the pressure. "Don't you dare get anywhere close to the dragons or her ever again," Draco seethed. He pressed down on the toe of his boot. "Do you understand?"

Toma grasped for words, acquiescing with a short nod.

"Good." Draco removed his foot. "Incarcerous."

Thick ropes wound around Toma's body. Toma sneered at Draco, a menacing hatred obvious in his withering stare, but there was nothing Toma could do now. His limbs were bound and Hermione's added Imperturbable Charm ensured there would be no freeing him.