Trust Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 3)

Sectumsempra

Harry stared at Ellie and Draco with an expression of disgust and anger. Ellie and Draco looked to each other in surprise, not expecting him to be standing there.

"I know what you did, Malfoy. You hexed her, didn't you?" Harry confronted.

"He would never, Harry," Ellie defended.

"You knew... Ellie. I trusted you," Harry spat, referring to her knowledge of Draco's status. He looked betrayed, and Ellie knew that she had messed up.

Draco immediately sent a spell at Harry, as the Gryffindor dodged it by an inch. Harry immediately drew his wand and sent a spell right back at him, nearly hitting Ellie in the process. She withdrew her wand in defense, crouching behind a wall.

"Stop it! That's enough!" Ellie yelled, dodging spells frantically. She stayed with Draco, who took shelter behind the stalls, with Harry on the other end.

Soon enough, there was glass flying everywhere as their spells rebounded off of the mirrors. Draco had hit a faucet, causing water to leak rapidly from its spout. Draco crawled on the floor, looking for Harry's feet. Harry sent a spell at him, in which Ellie pulled Draco up, dodging it by a second. She dragged him with her, pulling him to safety.

An opening that exposed both Ellie and Draco left enough time for Harry to fire out one more spell.

"Sectumsempra!" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at Draco. Ellie immediately threw herself in front of Draco, absorbing most of its impact. Draco absorbed some of its power, sending the two of them flying backwards.

Both of their bodies hit the waterlogged floor. Ellie winced as she looked over to Draco, who was whimpering in pain. Ellie's torso held slashes deep enough to reach her organs. Her shirt was ripped, revealing the bloody scene. Her shirt was soiled with blood, but couldn't help to care for Draco. The water ran red, both of their blood infecting it.

Harry approached them cautiously, his footsteps splashing against the floor. Ellie couldn't see his expression, but knew that he hadn't intended it. Ellie groaned in pain, now feeling the impact of her wounds. Her gashes seemed to have traveled to every limb of her body, as if her organs were being sliced open.

Ellie dipped in and out of consciousness, seeing blurs of Snape crouching over her.

"Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur..." Snape's voice droned.

Ellie felt some relief alleviate from her torso as Snape hovered over her and Draco's bodies, articulating a healing spell. Ellie groaned once more as she remembered the ring sitting on her desk, discarded next to Hermione's necklace. Then everything went black.

--

Ellie awoke in the hospital wing, her body sore from the previous events. She took in the smell of rubbing alcohol, the soft sheets beneath her, and the feeling of someone's hand wrapped around her own. Ellie blinked a few times to regain her vision, the cloudiness diminishing from her view.

She sat up, propping herself up on her elbows as she winced in pain. She looked to see Harry sitting at her bedside, holding one of her hands in hopes she would wake up. He noticed Ellie's awakening and immediately slid his chair closer, his expression showing clear relief.

"Goodness, Ellie. You're finally awake," Harry greeted as a small smile curled at his lips.

"How long have I been out?" Ellie groaned as she touched her bandaged torso lightly.

"Five days. You were out for a while, compared to Draco. He only stayed overnight," Harry replied.

Ellie stayed quiet as she thought about Draco, wondering how he felt.

Harry let out an exasperated sigh as the sunlight shone upon his darkened eyes. It seems that he hadn't slept for days, the tiredness finally showing.

"I'm sorry, Ellie. I really am. I didn't mean to-"

"I'm alive. That's all that matters," Ellie interrupted, giving a small smile in reassurance.

"Draco... you knew about him all this time?" Harry questioned in a calmer tone.

"He's my friend, Harry. And it wasn't my secret to tell," Ellie replied in hopes he would conclude the conversation.

"I'm sorry," Harry muttered, his eyes showing sympathy. He was clearly more guilty about his doing, rather than caring about Draco.

"It's fine, really. Just a little bruised, that's all."

Ellie glanced to her bedside table to see a bouquet of handpicked flowers, tied at the base with a string of leather, seeming to be ripped from a bookmark. Harry took notice and gave it to the Hufflepuff, placing it in her arms.

"How is she?" Ellie asked, knowing all too well who the flowers were from.

"Not too well," Harry replied solemnly. "Told her about what happened to you. She got quite angry at me. She's barely even speaking to me now. Though, she did ask me to deliver those to you. Said she couldn't bear to see you like that."

Ellie's lips curled into a small smile as she touched one of the petals on the flowers.

"She also told me to deliver this when you wake up," Harry added as he withdrew a small piece of parchment from his pocket.

Ellie peeled back the fold to reveal Hermione's elegant handwriting. It was a familiar piece of parchment, one that Ellie knew well. The edges of it held the uniquely light pattern of vines, complimenting the seemingly sparkling paper. It was a page ripped out from Ellie's journal, one that she had gifted to Hermione the year before.

11 p.m. at Astronomy Tower. I'll wait there everyday if I have to. - H.G.

Ellie sighed as she closed the paper once more. She wanted to talk to her, yet she didn't know how she would react under her emotions. She was afraid to snap at her again, letting her anger control her speech.

"What did it say?" Harry inquired.

"Nothing important," Ellie dismissed as she tucked away the note in her pocket.

Ellie attempted to sit up, but was held down gently by Harry.

"Woah, woah, woah. Madam Pomfrey says you have to stay the night," Harry interjected. "Sorry, Ellie. You have to rest. Matron's orders."

Ellie rolled her eyes as she plopped back onto the bed, wincing slightly as pain shot through her torso.

"You're odd, Ellie," Harry spoke up as he glanced at her bandaged torso.

Ellie laughed lightly, her chest heaving with struggling breaths.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well... one day you can fall off a broomstick 50 feet in the air and survive the Killing Curse without a scratch, and the next, you're bed-ridden for days from a slashed torso."

Harry had a look on his face that showed deep thought. He was clearly trying to process his thoughts, but had no luck in making progress.

"Says the Boy Who Lived," Ellie countered, earning a sarcastic eye roll from the Gryffindor.

Harry gave a light laugh, seeming to have forgotten about the events that had happened just a few days earlier. Ellie had almost forgotten about it too, but was left wondering how Hermione felt about her mishap.