I Hate That I Love You -- Dramione

This Girl Will Be the Death of Me

Draco woke with a start.

The sound of a door slamming had shaken him out of his sleep and his heart had started beating a million miles per second.

The creak of his door opening caught his attention.

He sat up with a grunt and rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. When he saw that no one was at the door, he looked a little lower and saw Dizzy, one of his house elves standing in the doorway, her face down and arms behind her back.

"Dizzy?" He asked, "What is it?"

"Sir, Miss. Hermione Granger is downstairs. She says she can't sleep, should I give her some of the sleeping draught?"

Draco squinted and looked at the clock hanging on his wall, he turned back to Dizzy, "It's 1 am."

Dizzy nodded, "Yes Sir."

Draco sighed and shook his head, "No, it's alright, I'll do it myself. I'll be down in a minute."

Dizzy beamed and nodded her head, "Yes, Sir." And she sprinted out of the doorway.

Draco shook his head and threw the covers off. He slipped some sweats over his boxers and didn't mind putting on a shirt, he'd just give her the draught and go back to sleep.

He made his way across his room, running into a wall at least three times, I mean, it was one in the morning.

Draco blinked the sleep from his eyes and made his way down the stairs.

As he rounded the corner, he stopped when he saw her.

Hermione Granger was standing in the hallway, arms crossed over her chest. She was bare foot,wearing short shorts and a loose tank top. Her lips were pursed, causing her jaw to stick out, her hair thrown up into a messy bun, her curls spilling from it, framing her face. Draco swallowed and started toward her.

His eyes were trained on her face as he walked toward her, waiting for her to realize he was there. But as he continued to walk towards her, she never took her eyes off where she was looking.

"Granger?" He asked, cautiously, as he stopped about a foot away from her.

Her lip quirked up slightly, "I've had nightmares about this room ever since I was tortured here. Now this is my refuge."

Draco frowned, what was she talking about?

His eyes followed hers and saw she was looking through the doorway into the drawing room. the room his aunt tortured her, the room she, Potter, and Weasel were brought to as prisoners, the room where Draco stood and let it happen.

He hated that room.

She started forward into the room, slowly, as if suddenly his aunt would pop out from the shadows.

He blames himself for this.

For her being terrified of this room.

He is too.

He hadn't been in it ever since the battle at Hogwarts.

It's his fault.

Hermione suddenly stopped, her last step echoing off the abandoned walls. She looked down at her feet and turned around, slowly looking up at Draco, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Draco swallowed.

"Hermione-" He started.

"This is where it happened," she interrupted, glancing back down at the floor, "I remember because that nail left a scar on my back because she pushed me onto it. I was squirming on the ground while it was underneath me and she wouldn't let me up, so I tried not to move," her eyes met his and a tear fell onto her cheek, He watched it until it dripped off her jaw, she didn't wipe the trail it left, "It didn't work, because then she started to use the cruciatus curse on me. After she was done, I tried to move, but I couldn't, my body was paralyzed.  Then she straddled me and gave me... this."

She turned her arm over and even through the dim light of the room he could still see the horrible scar dug deep into her arm. She didn't look at it with hate, or anger, she rather looked at it with amusement.

"She used a cursed knife, you know," she ran her thumb over it and winced, "Still hurts if I put pressure on it. The healers say it'll never go away, that it'll be there for forever."

She raised her head to look back at Draco, "You're uncharacteristically quiet," she raised her eyebrow when he was still silent, "What's wrong, no witty come backs?"

His voice cracked when he wheezed, "It's all my fault."

She smiled slightly and shook her head, "Unfortunately, Draco, you can't take all the blame. Your guilt is incorrectly placed. It's not entirely your fault."

Draco shook his head, "No, Hermione, it is! I stood there and watched as my father took your wands, as my aunt bloody tortured you, Hermione! I should've blocked her knife that she threw at Dobby, I should've helped you escape, I should've done anything!" He sighed, "But all I did was stand in the corner like a coward."

She sighed, studying his eyes before shaking her head slightly, "You really do believe this is all on you, don't you?"

She walked towards him, "You didn't tell your aunt that you recognized us, that helped us. You willingly let Harry take your wand from you, I saw it myself, if you'd wanted to keep your wand Harry would not had been able to take it, that helped us. And what do you call this?" she asked, stopping a foot away from the blonde, "You're letting me stay in your manor while I sort out my bloody life problems! That helped me."

She shook her head, "You know, you're not as bad of a guy as you think you are."

"I could've done so much more..." Draco sighed.

She shrugged, "Maybe... maybe I could've as well. But that was in the past. You need to learn to forget," she smiled and hooked her arms around his neck, He stiffened, but she didn't seem to care, "But you also need to learn how to forgive. To forgive others... but even more, yourself."

She pressed her lips to his cheek and held them there.

Draco closed his eyes at the feeling.

Even when she pulled away, he could still feel her warm lips, almost like they were branded on his cheek.

"Good night-" she smirked, "Malfoy."

She winked and walked out of the room, her hair continuing to fall out of her bun as she walked.

Draco shook his head, "This girl will be the death of me."

*—-*