Slow Grenade

Chapter Forty-Four

Hermione had been lying on her bed in the sixth-year girls' dormitory, running the conversation with Draco over and over in her head. She was hurt, angry, and scared, but so was he. Making the decision to go back to him, heat suddenly emanated from her ring but no words appeared.

Panic coursed through her body as she raced from the common room, running down corridors and up staircases. Draco wasn't in the Room of Hidden Things. Without quite knowing why, she turned and headed towards the hospital wing.

Quietly pushing the doors open, she saw a tall figure stride towards her. "I wondered whether I would be seeing you here this evening, Miss Granger."

"Professor Snape," she said, swallowing. "Where is he?"

Indicating to the furthest bed in the hospital wing, the Potions Master asked quietly, "How much has he told you?"

"Very little, he won't let me help."

"As I expected," Snape said, nodding. Hermione was certain that she saw sadness flash across his features. "Do be careful Miss Granger, we cannot have a repeat of the last time I found the two of you in here."

Ducking her head, she walked quickly over to the bed Draco was currently occupying. "Muffliato," she whispered, aware that Ron was asleep just a few beds down.

Hermione ran her fingers carefully across his forehead, brushing his fine hair back into place. She could see that his injuries were extensive; there was a strong smell of Dittany in the air and bandages covered his torso and arms.

"Draco, Draco," she repeated his name over and over, like a prayer. "I'm so sorry. I was coming back for you. I shouldn't have left." A small sob left her mouth. "You needed me, and I left."

He trembled and his eyes shot open. "What – where – " he reached out, then winced in pain.

"Hey, it's just me, don't move too much."

Hermione summoned a nearby chair and pulled it close to the side of the bed. "What happened, Draco?"

Knowing the painful position it would put her in, he shook his head; they could talk about it later. "Soon, I'll tell you soon," he croaked. "I'm sorry, for pushing you out, for everything. I'm just so scared, I'm so fucking scared, all the time."

"Will you tell me what you're doing?" she asked hesitantly.

His eyes fluttered shut, and for a moment she wondered whether he had fallen asleep. "I'm trying to mend something for the Dar – for him."

"Why? What is it?"

"It's just a cabinet, and... I don't know why," he said, one truth for one lie.

Hermione nodded slowly, deciding not to push him further.

He lent his forehead against hers, wishing the pain wasn't stopping him from wrapping his arms around her. "You're everything to me, Hermione. I don't exist without you."

"You'll never have to. We're always going to have each other, Draco."

Thanks to Snape's counter-curse, he recovered relatively quickly. It was only a few days before he was able to leave the hospital wing.

When Hermione found out that it was Harry who had cursed Draco with the unknown Sectumsempra spell, she was beyond furious. It was a particular challenge trying to suppress this to an acceptable level of annoyance in front of her Gryffindor friends. Although Draco's schedule in the Room of Requirement had recently intensified, he was happy to help relieve her frustrations.

It was a few weeks later when Hermione's ring warmed her finger and she saw a message flash up: 'Libr 6pm'.

After dinner that evening, she went directly to their quiet corner of the library. Draco was murmuring incantations under his breath and smiled proudly when he saw her. "Protective enchantments," he explained. "So no one will stumble upon us."