3 Times Fallen (a Dramione fanfiction)

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Draco

"Mr. Malfoy!" A shrill voice rang out through their common room, waking Hermione and Draco. "What is the meaning of this?" Hermione lifted her head off of Draco's chest and was met with the fierce eyes of Professor McGonagall. Shocked, Hermione jumped out of the bed, and moved to cover her pajamas from the woman in front of her.  Draco shrugged the covers up higher over his head grasping for the last bit of sleep that would not come without his mate.

"I swear professor! It's not what it looks like!!"

"While the sleeping arrangements of yourself and Mr. Malfoy are not what I would necessarily deem acceptable for students, you two are mates, and I do not wish to intervene in veela matters."

"And that's bloody well of you," Draco said, finally awake. Hermione tossed a pillow at his head, which he caught easily.  She was a feisty one.  "What do you want?"

"Draco! Be nice!" Hermione shrieked. Glaring in response, Draco turned his body to face his professor in front of him. Her arms were folded across her heaving chest, as she stared down upon him in contempt.

"While I know that your condition is not something that you have much control over," she coughed slightly and suddenly grew uncomfortable, "I would prefer it if you would cease maiming the other students. The young man with whom you had an encounter with last evening, had done nothing to deserve the serious injuries that were inflicted upon his person. Control yourself please Mr. Malfoy, or I will be forced to restrain you." She tentatively took a step back as Draco rose from his seated position on the makeshift bed.

Draco saw the professor reach for her wand within her robes as he drew nearer. "Don't you think I would if I could? I didn't chose this life! Honestly, I don't even remember meeting him in the corridor yesterday. It wasn't until Hermione explained what had happened that I realized what I had done. So don't you dare come up here and threaten me over things I have no control over."

"Now Mr. Malfoy, listen I wasn't tryi-"

"No. You listen! I don't appreciate being treated in this manner!" At this point Draco was towering over Professor McGonagall, and she had lost her air of superiority, her composure crumbling. She was scared and it was showing.

Hermione chose this moment to intervene. She rubbed soothing hands up and over Draco's shoulders. Her mate leaned backwards into her touch, and their professor marginally relaxed.

"Shhhhh shhhh," Hermione whispered.  "Calm down.  It's okay.  I'm right here."  Draco began purring and Hermione's cheeks reddened at McGonagall's close proximity.  "Draco...not right now! The professor..." she trailed off and Draco growled in the older witch's direction.  She held up her hands in surrender, and Draco leaned back into Hermione's willing hands once more.

"Can one of you please explain to me why Mr. Malfoy was in the Entrance Hall after hours?"

Hermione glanced up at her room.  The memories from the previous night came flooding back, and her routine movements on Draco's hair slowed.

"Well you see professor," Draco began, "There was a threat made on my mate's life last night, and I caught a scent of the offender.  My veela chased him to the school boundary, and away from her, but that young student in the hallway got in my way.  He was hindering my mission to protect my mate, from what I gather, and while I agree he didn't deserve to be hurt, I can not say that I am sorry because Hermione is my highest priority."

The Headmistresses eyes widened as she listened to the story from the platinum blonde.  "May I?" she questioned, gesturing to the staircase and the bedroom in question.

"Of course.  I'll show you myself.  In fact, there's probably some other matters which we need to discuss.  I wonder if you have a moment for tea at some point today?"  Draco looked pointedly in Hermione's direction indicating his reluctance to speak in her presence.

The professor knowingly kept her composure under his scrutiny and decided it was best to agree to the terms he laid out before her.  "Of course Mr. Malfoy.  Why don't you escort Miss Granger here up to the Gryffindor common room today whilst I investigate, and then we can speak privately.  This way you can be assured she is under the watchful eye of Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley."  Draco debated the idea in his head.

"Very well professor.  I shall meet you in your office shortly.  Come on love, we must be off."  Hermione stared back at the veela with confusion clearly written across her face.  

"Draco, what are you doing?"

"Nothing to worry about love, I'll explain on the way."  Draco transfigured the tiny pajamas the bushy-haired witch was wearing, and held open the portrait for her as she walked through.  He was in for some serious explaining to his little mate.

..........

.........

Hermione

"So there's a possible new threat from former Death Eaters and the two of you didn't think to inform me of this until now?"  The Boy Who Lived glared at his longtime friend as she squirmed under his gaze. 

"Well you see Harry," Hermione said, "Neither of us thought that the rumors were credible until my room was destroyed yesterday, and someone left that threat.  And you've been so happy recently, I just didn't want to bother you with another issue-"

"You shouldn't have to worry about me!  All we want to do is keep each other safe.  We've been here for each other for everything for forever.  This is what we do."

"Yeah 'Mione.  We'll do everything and anything we can to help the two of you."  Ron grinned at the pair of them.  "Besides, Malfoy trusts us enough now to leave you alone with us for an extended period of time while he goes and explains all this to McGonagall.  Clearly we're doing something right."

"Thank you guys so much.  I love you both."  Hermione smiled and threw her arms around her two oldest friends.  They were right.  There was too much history between them for her to not be open about something that was concerning her.  

"As happy as I am that you have your friends, watching you hug them is physically paining me."  The voice of her mate caused Hermione to glance up searchingly.  Her eyes locked onto the blonde figure leaning seductively against the portrait hole to the Gryffindor common room.  Her boys released her chuckling as she ran to the man who had her heart.

Leaping into his arms she whispered into his ear, "I missed you."  Draco smiled and held his mate tightly against him.  The conversation with McGonagall had set him on edge, and he was very relieved to have his mate resting once again safely in his embrace.  

Draco placed a chaste kiss on Hermione's forehead before turning to the men flanking her as always.  "I take it she filled you in?" he inquired.  When they both nodded in agreement, Draco spoke again.  "Good.  McGonagall's on the mission to protect Hermione too, and she will be stationing extra guards outside of our dorms as well as extra protection wards.  Knowing the two of you, you have already pledged to help her and for that I am grateful.  Now: let's get started on this little uprising problem we have at hand shall we?"

A/N: It's been forever and I'm really sorry.  School was really getting me down the past few months, and that was coupled with the fact that I am really struggling to put this story into words/develop it farther.  Any ideas please message me as to where you think the story should go.  I'm so so so so so sorry that this update took so long.  I'm not really happy with this chapter but I figured I owed it to you guys to post something after going AWOL.  :)