The Cabin by reetinkerbell [Rated PG-13]
Celebrate the Season fic request for thrifts
Title: The Cabin
Author: reetinkerbell
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own, kind of wish I did.
Long Ass Authors Note: I almost literally just finished this. Any mistakes? Terribly sorry. All my fault. But I really wanted to get this posted before tomorrow, as that's when we celebrate Christmas here, and after that I'm leaving for a couple of days and bla bla bla no one cares.
Anyway, throughout the whole process of writing this story, I've been feeling utterly uninspired, which I'm sure is reflected in my story. This is by far not my best work, but thankfully its not my worst. I hope you guys will like it. I would like to thank the wonderful person who helped me out with this - read it and told me honestly what she thought and who pointed out the mistakes I'd made. I'd mention her by name, but that'd be telling, so that'll have to wait. I would also like to give a special thanks for someone - whom shall not be named yet either - for telling me about...well, she knows, and I'll do a more proper credit after the exchange is fully over.
I am a backup writer, thus I didn't have as much time as most to get this written and is also one of the main reasons as to why this was late. However, I have had more time than some of the other backup writers, so at least that's something. :P
This is a very wordy story. Not just in the sense that there's a lot of words, but in the sense that they talk a lot. I seem to have forgotten that people don't just talk - they do stuff too. :P Sorry.
Anyway, enough from me. Please, enjoy the story.
Summary: Left to die by the one person he trusts, Draco soon finds himself under the gentle care of Hermione.
The Cabin
“Oh Merlin,” Hermione breathed, placing a hand over her open mouth, hoping she wouldn't get sick.
“Hermione, maybe you should step outside for a while,” Harry said, making it more of a command than anything else. He'd gotten good at that in the months following Dumbledore's death, and no matter how many times she heard it, or noticed his changing behaviour, it still broke her heart when she realised that he wasn't the same boy she'd met on the train all those years ago. He was a man now. A man with a mission.
Which was how they'd found themselves at the cabin in the first place. Because of the mission.
Tears came unbidden to her eyes and Hermione felt numb as Ron silently escorted her out of the small house, placing her gently on the front steps. After making sure she was all right, Ron went back into the cabin, closing the door quietly behind him.
Hermione shuddered. She'd seen some pretty horrific things in her time, but finding Draco Malfoy after months of worrying, chained up against a wall - unconscious, malnourished and barely breathing - covered in dried blood and dirt, with multiple unattended wounds marring his body, was one of the most horrible sights yet.
Based on a tip from someone at the Ministry, the trio had arrived at the secluded cabin in hopes of finding something that would lead them to the last Horcrux. Never in her wildest dreams had Hermione thought they'd find Draco, much less find him in the condition he was currently in.
No, in Hermione's wildest dreams, he'd never gone missing in the first place.
Hermione pushed the thought away and took a few calming breaths as she looked around herself. The cabin was placed in a small clearing, and the forest around her was dark and quiet, lulling her into a false sense of security.
She'd dreamed about seeing him again for so long now, and to find him like this... Hermione shuddered again, wrapping her arms around herself to ward against the sudden chill.
She could hear Harry and Ron move around inside, most likely freeing Draco from his chains and helping him move to a softer, more comfortable surface. Part of her wanted to be in there, helping him, but it was better to let Harry and Ron take care of him for now. They knew what they were doing, and she knew they wouldn't mind doing it, despite what their personal feelings towards the blond were.
If Hermione went in there, she would only end up breaking down at the sight of him, broken and bleeding, and she didn't want to deal with the questions and demands for an explanation she knew Harry and Ron would subject her to when they noticed her reaction. Draco needed them to focus their attention on helping him, and not on questioning her.
“I wonder what happened to Snape.”
Hermione jumped slightly at the sound of Ron's voice, not having heard him step outside. She turned around to face him and followed him with her eyes as he sat down heavily next to her, his face tired.
“What makes you think he wasn't the one who left him here?” Hermione asked angrily. “If Draco dies, it wouldn't be the first person Snape's killed in the past year.”
“I thought Harry said Dumbledore made Snape kill him? Because of the Vow and him already dying from the poison?”
“And Harry's always right, isn't he?” Hermione snorted, looking away from Ron.
“Hermione...”
“No. Just, don't. You know almost everyone is trying to make Harry think Snape really isn't evil. Because they can't get over the fact that he tricked them all into thinking he was actually good all these years. They feel betrayed. And while they hate him and they know deep inside that he murdered Dumbledore, they don't want to admit it. And they're rubbing off on Harry.” Hermione gave him a look. “And onto you too apparently.”
“For all we know it could've been someone else-”
“Someone else? Like who? Another Death Eater? There aren't many left now. Besides, I get the feeling that they would've wanted to watch him die. No. This reeks of Snape and his cowardliness.”
“Why are you being so adamant about this?”
“Why aren't you?” Their eyes locked. “Look, someone chained Draco up and left him to die. Now he may not have been your most favourite person in the world, but as far as we know, he's still innocent.” At Ron's look, Hermione backtracked. “Or as innocent as any of us. And even if he isn't, he doesn't deserve this.” She waved a hand in the direction of the cabin. “You know that.”
Ron nodded. “But just because he was last seen with Snape, doesn't mean that he did it. We've jumped to the wrong conclusion when it comes to him before.”
“No. But taken into account that Draco is the only one alive aside from Snape and Harry who actually saw Snape kill Dumbledore, and the two have obviously been travelling together, I'd say its a safe bet,” Hermione replied. “And, Snape doesn't even know that Harry was there.”
“True.” Ron paused for a moment as he thought. “But why didn't he just kill Malfoy? Why leave him here like this?”
“I don't know,” Hermione admitted. “Maybe he didn't want to risk the killing curse as the Ministry would be able to track him easier, and despite all the evil things he's done in his life, he couldn't bare killing Draco with his bare hands?” She shrugged. “I really have no idea. But I'm planning on doing my best to find out, starting with having a talk with whoever knows where that Ministry tip came from.”
“You think it might've been from Snape?” Ron asked.
“Yes.”
They sat together in silence for a few moments before Ron frowned. “That's a contradiction though,” he said.
“What is?” Hermione asked, looking up at him.
“If Snape wanted Draco dead, but didn't want to do the actual deed himself, he could've just left him here and not let anyone know about this place.”
“Right...”
“But if he's the one that tipped the Ministry off, then he did let someone know. It doesn't make sense.”
“And you rather someone else had found him and instead of helping him, sent a cryptic note to the Ministry that it took Remus almost two weeks to deem safe?” Not giving Ron a chance to answer, Hermione continued. “Besides, its Snape we're talking about. Who knows how he thinks. And, you saw Draco better than I did. Tell me, how long do you think he would've been alive if we hadn't found him when we did?”
Ron hesitated. “Hermione,” he started carefully. “We may have been too late.”
Hermione stared at him. “What?”
“He's weak. Lost a lot of blood.” Ron shook his head. “Harry is in there now giving him some of the last emergency Blood-Replenishing Potion, but he needs more. If we don't get him to St. Mungo's, or at the very least get a Healer out here soon...” he trailed off, knowing Hermione would understand what he was saying.
I'm going to lose him all over again, Hermione thought, her heart breaking. She squeezed her eyes shut against the onslaught of tears, not wanting Ron to see them.
“I'm surprised he's managed to hold on for as long as he has,” Ron continued, oblivious to Hermione's inner turmoil.
Hermione sighed. “Maybe Snape thought he'd be dead by the time anyone would think it safe to check this place out,” she suggested, her voice low. “He's known Draco ever since he was a child. Maybe Snape felt guilty about leaving him out here without a proper burial.”
Ron shrugged. “Maybe. As you said, who knows how Snape thinks?”
~*~
Almost an hour later, Harry stepped out onto the porch, his face grim and tired. Hermione and Ron looked at him expectantly as he sat down on Hermione's other side, resting his head in his hands.
“How is he?” Hermione finally asked, not being able to stand the silence and the not knowing.
Harry sighed. “Not well. He's sleeping now, and I've cleaned his wounds, but its going to take time.”
“We don't have time,” Ron reminded him.
“I know.”
They sat in quiet for a while, before Ron spoke up. “Shouldn't we be thinking about taking him to St. Mungo's?” he asked.
Hermione shook her head. “The Ministry is still looking for him remember? We may know that he didn't kill Dumbledore, but you know how they are. They won't listen. Personally, I think its because of Lucius and the Lestranges. And I mean, just look at what they did to Stan, and he was just an innocent bystander. Can you imagine what they'll do to Draco?”
“Hermione's right,” Harry said. “We need to find someone who isn't part of the Ministry and who is not only willing, but able, to take care of him while we search for the last Horcrux. The sooner we find it, the sooner all of this will be over and Draco will be able to get proper care.”
“What about Mum?” Ron asked, breaking the pregnant silence that'd settled between the trio. “She could take care of him. You know she won't mind much.”
“Its too risky,” Harry said. “We'd either have to bring Draco to her, or have her come here. If she suddenly went into hiding, people are going to suspect something. And, I don't think we can hide Draco in the house.”
The house he was referring to was Grimmauld Place, where the Order had once again taken up residence after the death of Narcissa Malfoy. By then, Bellatrix and her husband had already been killed, and the only ones left from the Black family were Tonks and Draco.
And they weren't even sure Draco knew about the house.
“I could stay.”
Harry and Ron both turned to look at Hermione, various degrees of shock on their faces.
“You want to stay?” Harry asked.
Hermione nodded. “I know enough about Healing and-” she started, only to be interrupted by Ron.
“Wait just a minute. If you think for one blasted second that either of us want to leave you alone out here with that git, you're mad.”
“Ron, I can take care of myself. Besides, he's too weak to do anything, and we can't leave him to St. Mungo's. And quite honestly, I don't trust many others to look after him and not turn him in,” Hermione replied. “Furthermore, the less people who knows about him still being alive, the better. Harry can't stay, and you don't know enough about Healing to take care of him on your own. And the only two other people I trust with something like this are Remus and Viktor, neither of who can easily get away without questioning.”
Harry sighed as Ron and Hermione glared at each other, seemingly arguing silently. After only a few moments, Ron looked away and sighed, obviously losing that battle.
“But we can't leave you here,” he said.
Hermione started to protest and Ron held up a hand, halting her words. “What if whoever did this to Draco comes back?”
“I didn't think about that,” Hermione admitted.
“Why are you so eager and willing to help him?” Harry asked, looking curiously at Hermione.
Hermione shrugged, hoping she looked casual as she answered, “He might be useful.”
Ron snorted. When Hermione turned to glare at him, he looked the other way, pretending to be interested in the forest.
Harry sighed. “Ron's right though, the two of you can't stay here.”
“We can figure that out tomorrow,” Hermione said, standing up. “I don't know about you two, but I could use something to eat and a good nights sleep. And, I would like to check up on Draco.”
Ron stood up. “Why do you insist on calling him Draco?”
“It's his name, isn't it?” Hermione replied sarcastically.
“Doesn't mean you have to call him that,” Ron grumbled as he followed her into the cabin.
~*~
Four days had passed since they'd first found Draco, and as he hadn't been well enough to Apparate - not even if he was merely along for the ride - they had all stayed back at the cabin until he was because Harry and Ron didn't want to leave Hermione alone in the cabin. Luckily, it hadn't taken too long for Draco to get well enough to be moved and soon the four were safely hidden in another cabin provided by Lupin on the other side of the country.
Harry and Ron left not long after and while Hermione settled herself and Draco in, they went to meet Remus. They returned shortly after with various necessary potion ingredients and supplies before they left once more.
Remus had been a lifesaver, and Hermione didn't know what they would've done without him. When Dumbledore died, Remus had really stepped up to the plate and taken care of the Order, for which they were all grateful. He was a natural born leader, and he was one of the few people they all trusted. And one of the only ones who firmly believed that if Snape had killed Dumbledore on anyone's orders, it surely hadn't been Dumbledore's.
Harry had owled him the morning after they found, Draco, giving him as much information as he dared, before asking him to 'take care of it' the way Dumbledore would've, which he had.
The same day the four arrived at the new cabin, Hedwig had appeared with the Daily Prophet. The papers front page bravely proclaimed that Draco Malfoy had been found dead in a secluded cabin by a group of Aurors two days before, after an anonymous tip had been sent to the Ministry. Along with the paper was a hastily written note from Remus, telling them that the cabin in question was under surveillance, should Snape come back to the scene of the crime.
Once Harry and Ron were sure that Hermione would be all right alone with only the sick Draco as company, they left. Hermione found herself focusing all her time and energy on Draco, and she desperately hoped that she was doing the right thing, helping him. It had been months since they'd last met, and many things could've changed in that time. For all she knew, he was a killer, and didn't deserve her help. Or anyone else's for that matter.
The cabin was quiet, and while it wasn't as dark and secluded as the previous one, Hermione felt lonely. For months now, she'd had Harry and Ron with her day in and day out as they searched for the remaining Horcruxes. Every now and then she got tired of constantly having them around her, but now that they weren't, she felt abandoned. Hopefully, the feeling would pass as soon as Draco woke up and was lucid enough to speak to her.
Until then, she would care for him and hope that she wasn't making a huge mistake, not taking him to St. Mungo's or leaving Harry and Ron to their own devises. Merlin only knew how many reckless chances they actually took, without a real care for their own safety.
She just hoped they would be more careful now that they were so close to victory.
As she carefully washed the wounds on Draco's torso with a soft sponge, letting the water dribble down his sides and soak into the bedding, her thoughts went back to the first and only time she'd seen his naked chest, and how different it'd looked from now. He'd been pale, and not in the sickly pasty sense as he was now. There hadn't been any wounds, scrapes or even scars marring his body, and his skin had been soft to the touch, stretched across his lean and healthy frame. He still had the fine blond hairs around his navel, leading down to there, and his nipples were still rosy pink against the white skin, for which Hermione was glad.
As much as his appearance had changed due to what'd happened to him, parts of him were still the same.
Hermione remembered some of the naughtier dreams she'd had over the past year, kissing and licking that chest, nipping into the skin and leaving red love bites, marking him, hoping they wouldn't fade away too soon. How he'd smile at her before rolling them over and doing the same to her, only harder and more daringly.
Now, he had red marks all over his chest, and Hermione turned her eyes away, ashamed of her schoolgirl fantasies of him. She washed the sponge in the bowl of water she'd put on the floor next to her bent knees earlier as she tried to keep her mind off of her dreams.
As she wrung most of the water out of the soft sponge, Hermione's thoughts wandered in the direction of Hogwarts. She found herself doing so more and more lately, and every time she thought about her beloved school, it broke her heart. It made her think of Dumbledore, and his calming presence. Of the library and the many books she had yet to read. Of simpler times when her biggest worry was getting her homework done in time, and not how to survive the night. When Harry and Ron spent the evenings playing chess together instead of training on spells or planning their next move. When they laughed and were happy, and not on edge.
Hermione missed Hogwarts more than she dared to admit to Harry and Ron. She knew they missed the school also - especially Harry - but they never talked about it, so Hermione didn't either. No matter how much she actually wanted to.
Draco groaned but luckily didn't wake up as Hermione pressed the sponge a little too hard against a particularly nasty cut, and Hermione winced in sympathy. While she would love it if he woke up, so that she could talk to him again and look into his beautiful grey eyes, she was glad that he was out light a light. No reason for him to be awake and fully aware of the pain.
She brushed away a few stray locks of hair from his damn brow, soothing the frown that'd settled there. His hair was longer than she'd ever seen it before, and she made a mental note of cutting it for him once he felt a bit better. It was still as soft as she remembered, albeit still dirty, as she'd been unable to clean it properly.
As she ran her fingers through his almost shoulder long hair, her eyes started to water. And once the flood gates opened, the tears wouldn't stop. In a matter of seconds, Hermione was crying. Her shoulders shook as she dry heaved, trying to get some much needed air into her lungs. She laid her head down next to Draco's on his pillow, hiding her head in his warm neck as she finally let go of all her bottle up sadness and pain.
Not since Dumbledore's funeral had she cried - not even when she'd seen Neville die, almost right in front of her or the following funeral, and she'd loved him. Not nearly as much as she loved Harry or Ron, but he'd always been a very good friend to her and she missed him.
It had been hard, to hide the pain and not cry. But she'd done it for Harry and Ron, because they didn't need to see how sad she really was. It would only make them feel worse and Hermione didn't want to cause them any more pain. And she certainly didn't want them feeling any guilt over taking her with them on their Horcrux quests, as it was her choice to go and not theirs.
Hermione cried almost desperately for several moments more before she pulled herself together. She felt exhausted and tired, while at the same time lighter and stronger. Like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She wiped away the tears staining her cheeks, wondering why she hadn't let go and cried earlier. It wasn't like she couldn't have done it while Harry and Ron slept, or at a time when the two simply weren't paying attention to her.
Draco groaned, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts, and she looked down at him. He was scowling, his eyes shut tight and Hermione placed her hand on his hot forehead, palm up, hoping that her cooler skin would bring him a small measure of comfort. Draco opened his eyes, and for the first time in months, Hermione met his eyes. But instead of seeing the rather cold grey she was accustom to, she was met by dull eyes, clouded over in fever.
“'emione?” he managed to scratch out, his throat raw from lack of use.
“Shh...” Hermione hushed him, her voice barely a whisper. She smiled down at him, “You should be sleeping,” she continued in the same soft voice.
Draco closed his eyes as he swallowed, looking as if the simple act caused him a great deal of pain. “'m dead?”
“No. You almost died though.” She caressed his forehead softly. “But you're safe now.”
“'hurts.”
“I know baby.” Hermione leaned down and pressed her lips gently against his. “Sleep,” she whispered against his lips.
It looked though as Draco wanted to say something more, but instead he simply looked up at Hermione for a few moments before he closed his eyes. Soon he was asleep once more.
~*~
"Haven't heard from Harry and Ron in quite a while," Hermione said, glancing over at Draco who lay silent on his cot. "If it wasn't for Remus and his owls, I'd worry even more about them than I already do."
Hermione walked out of the small bedroom over to the smaller kitchen area, quickly rinsing her tea cup out with some water before placing it in the sink. After drying her hands on the hand towel hanging on a hook on the wall, she walked back into the bedroom.
"Its a good thing you don't need any more Blood-Replenishing Potion, as we're all out," she continued, ignoring Draco's silence. "Of course, you know that already." She smiled slightly to herself as she fussed over Draco's bed sheet, wrapping it tighter around him.
It had been days now since Harry and Ron left, and while Draco woke up every so often, he was rarely lucid enough to have an actual conversation with her. Growing tired and unnerved by the constant silence, Hermione had taken it upon herself to talk to Draco, even if he couldn't always hear her, and never replied. She never asked questions, choosing instead to talk about her days, and read the letters Remus sent out loud, or tell him stories her mother had read to her as a child.
Had Draco been at St. Mungo's or back at Hogwarts under the efficient care of Madam Pomfrey, Hermione was sure that he would've been healed up and on his feet already. Because of her rather limited resources, she knew it would take him longer to get fully well again. Remus had sent as much as he could with his owls, as the fireplace wasn't connected to the Floo Network and he wasn't able to Apparate back and forth to the cabin.
And as Hermione was reluctant to use magic while stuck in the same place, knowing the Ministry would be able to find her if she did, Remus had to send her the ingredients in their original size, which meant he couldn't send much at the same time.
Hermione wasn't sure she could trust anyone else with the knowledge of Draco's whereabouts - aside from maybe Viktor - which left left only her to provide for him in every way she could.
And as much as Hermione knew about healing, she was far from being a registered Healer. Most of the potions that would've helped Draco greatly, she wasn't able to cook up or legally give to him, should Remus actually get his hands on the sought after potions. And with the Ministry's increasing paranoia, you now had to be approved by the Ministry to use certain charms and potions, or it was illegal. In addition, Hermione had heard several rumours about Scrimgeour allowing a new secret Department into the Ministry, which sole purpose was to keep track of the magic folks, recording every spell they cast, and potion they brew. Nothing was certain, but Hermione had a feeling there was at least some truth to the rumours.
"Its getting colder outside," Hermione said, walking over to Draco's bed and sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Winter is here. I know how much you love the Winter. With the snow," she stroke his hair softly, "the snow fights, the hot cocoa... Shorter and darker days... Christmas and New Years Eve..." she trailed off as Draco's eyelids fluttered open.
"Hey," she whispered, smiling down at him.
Draco smiled slightly in response, blinking rapidly to get used to the light. He raised a hand up to Hermione's cheek, gently stroking her skin with his fingertips. He cupped Hermione's face in his hand and in turn, Hermione raised her own hand and cupped his in it.
"How are you feeling?" Hermione continued just as softly.
Draco groaned, screwing his eyes shut for a moment before looking back up at her. Hermione was relieved to see the clear and lucid look in his eyes, indicating that his fever had gone down, maybe even completely.
"That bad huh?"
Draco gave a brief nod in reply.
"Do you want some water? It'd be good for your throat." Without waiting for his reply, Hermione stood up and walked out into the kitchen. Soon she was back at his side, holding a tall glass of water, complete with five ice cubes and one long straw.
After helping him sit up and lean against the many pillows behind him, Hermione gave him the glass. Draco accepted it with a smile in thanks, but as soon as Hermione let go, it slid through Draco's hand and the ice cold water spilled out all over him. Draco jumped in shock as the water hit him, the old sheet covering him not providing a whole lot of protection as it absorbed the water and stuck to his skin,
Hermione jumped in shock as well, quickly grabbing the glass now lying on Draco's barely covered chest. After placing the now empty glass on the bedside table, Hermione all but ran into the nearby bathroom, grabbing a couple of towels before she hurried back into the bedroom. In the short time she'd been away, Draco had slowly and painfully started to remove the soaked sheet, holding it away from his body and glaring at it with distaste.
Thought she'd already seen his chest on numerous occasions - not to mention the many times she'd seen it in her dreams - it was quite a different thing to see it again now that he was awake. Reminded her of the first time she'd seen it, back in sixth year.
And there was no reason for her to dwell on the past when there was a sick, wounded and very cold Draco to take care of, now was there?
"Here," she said abruptly, almost shoving a towel into his arms to use for cover before she removed the wet sheet. She barely waited for him to cover up before she removed it, and placed it on a nearby chair, deciding that getting Draco dry again came before worrying about the laundry.
Draco's face flushed as he adjusted the towel around his waist, looking up at Hermione to see if she was watching him. Hermione - having already seen that particular place before - did her best to pretend she didn't notice what he'd been doing as she helped him sit up. "The mattress is wet too," she explained as he peered up at her curiously. "And I can't take it outside with you on it."
She helped him over towards the bed she'd been sleeping in, which stood right next to his. The cabin only had one bedroom, but luckily Remus had more than one bed, for which Hermione was grateful. While she wouldn't have minded much to crawl into the same bed as Draco and spend the night wrapped around him, she didn't dare do so while he was still sick and hurt.
Once Draco was tucked into her bed, looking mighty comfortable and snug, Hermione removed the bedding and mattress from his bed and stalked off towards the bathroom with it.
~*~
"I think I may have to bandage your wounds again," Hermione said, looking critically at Draco's chest. The water had soaked into the bandages, and she was sure it wasn't healthy to leave them on.
"I'm sorry," Draco managed to get out, looking ashamed.
"No, I'm sorry. I should've remembered how tired your muscles get when you're sick. And you haven't moved in a very long time even before you were sick," Hermione replied. "Don't worry. It'll only take me a few moments to change them."
As she worked, she could feel Draco's steady gaze on her. She'd become an expert on bandaging wounds during the past few days, and she could almost do it in her sleep now. Which was a very good thing, as the feel of Draco's hot breath on her neck as she bent closer towards him, and the feel of his eyes on her was a big distraction.
Remove old bandage, carefully dry the wound, inspect said wound, clean it, apply cream, wait, put new bandage on.
Hermione repeated the process until all his wounds were redressed in new bandages. "Well, it looks like you won't be needing a bath today, what with you already having had a shower," she kidded, meeting his yes.
"You've given me baths?" Draco asked, his eyes wide and expression shocked.
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly. "You had wounds all over. I had to clean them."
"All over"? Draco raised an eyebrow as the beginning of a smirk formed on his lips.
"Well..." Hermione trailed off as her cheeks turned red. "I was the only one here and erm... I didn't look!"
"Of course you didn't." Draco sounded amused as he winked.
"Oh you..." Hermione rose up from the side of her bed, and after gathering up the cream and bandages, she left the room.
"Hermione..." Draco called in a sing-song voice from within the room as she dumped the old bandages in the waste basket.
"Hermione," he called again as she placed the cream back in the bathroom cupboard and made a mental note to make some more.
"Hermione, come back here," he cried as she scooped up the towels and sheet and placed them in the washer. It was a good thing Remus never used magic if he could prevent it when he stayed in the cabin, as that meant it was equipped with the necessaries. Hermione would never have been able to do all the dishes, laundry and general cleaning and cooking by hand.
"Hermione!" Draco shouted as loudly as he could without hurting his throat as she prepared another glass of water for him.
When Hermione entered the bedroom again, Draco was sitting up against her pillows, a sullen look on his face, and his arms crossed over his chest.
"I called for you," he said when he noticed her.
"So I heard," Hermione replied. "Here you go," she walked over and sat down next to him, holding the glass out towards him.
Draco turned his head away in protest, and if Hermione didn't know any better, she could've swore he was pouting. "You're such a big baby," she complained, placing the glass on the side table. "How old are you anyway?"
"I'm hurt," he said. "And sick."
"I know! I'm the one who's been trying to get you better remember? And what do I get for my troubles? A whiny, spoiled brat is what I get!" Hermione fumed. "And to think I actually wanted you to wake up and get better. You act like you've never been sick before."
"I haven't," Draco admitted, softly now as his throat started to protest against the strain of speaking after being silent for so long. And, because Hermione was right. She'd been taking care of him, and wasn't that so nice of her?
"Never?" Hermione sounded doubtful.
"There are cures against every sickness, if you have the money to pay for them, and no qualms about the manner of which they are acquired," Draco answered, sounding every bit of pure blooded aristocrat he was born to be. "Longest I've been ill before this was when I got sick at Hogwarts and it took Crabbe and Goyle too long to realise I was ill and needed to go to the Hospital Wing."
Hermione groaned as she put her head in her hands, hiding her face from his view.
"You cut your hair," Draco said suddenly, leaning forward.
Hermione looked up at him, frowning slightly at the abrupt change of subjects. She raised a hand towards her hair, touching the short bob her hair had been in for so long she'd forgotten what it felt like to have long hair. "You noticed it just now?"
Draco nodded.
"Oh. Well, it was just easier this way. All that bushy hair got in the way," Hermione joked, smiling slightly.
Draco didn't smile back. "I really liked it."
"Liked what?"
"That bushy hair of yours. Its a shame you cut it."
"You liked it?" Though she tried to stop it, Hermione couldn't prevent the slight flush that rose on her cheeks or the butterflies that suddenly erupted in her stomach at his words.
"Yeah." Draco leaned back against the pillows. "This isn't bad either, but I liked it long."
"It'll grow out again," Hermione said, breaking the pregnant silence that'd settled between them.
"Good." Draco closed his eyes, and Hermione took it as a signal that their conversation was over.
She shook her head in amusement as she quietly stood and exited the room.
She never saw Draco's eyes open or the hint of sadness that reflected in them at her departure before he closed them once more. He burrowed down in her bed, ignoring the stabbing pain in his right leg as he breathed in Hermione's scent.
~*~
Later that night - after finding a second mattress and making her bed on Draco's cot - as Hermione slept, she dreamt of Hogwarts. In the dream, she was sitting together with Draco in the library, studying for their Potions NEWT's. Draco was reading about the mating rituals of white ferrets, while she focused on green dragons and the proper way of caring for their golden eggs.
Harry and Neville sat together at a table next to theirs, playing a lively game of wizards chess. Every time one of Harry's pawn took one of Neville's - which happened quite often. Hermione was surprised Neville had any pawns left - they shouted obscenities at him. Neville just laughed it off as more and more of his men were cut down and pulled off the board.
"This is truly fascinating," Draco said, showing his open book to Viktor who'd sat down next to him.
Viktor nodded vigorously in agreement. He looked up at Hermione and the smile left his face as he frowned at her. "Hermy-own-ninny?"
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Isn't this just precious?" Snape suddenly appeared from behind a bookcase. He was wearing his customary black robes and as he turned, Hermione thought she saw someone hiding beneath them. "The whole family gathered around the Christmas tree. Where's the jolly old fool? You aren't allowed to sing the carols without him."
Just as he finished speaking, Ron walked out from behind a bookcase opposite of where Snape stood. Hermione gaped at his appearance, never having seen him dressed in so much red before, much less in an actual Santa suit.
He placed the heavy back pack he'd been carrying over his shoulder on the floor, looking around at the gathered people. "I'm looking for Rudolph," he said, absently scratching his long white beard with one hand. "He's about three times my age and he has two small red eyes. Anyone seen him? He took something of mine." No one responded. "It is my duty to find him."
"Can I come too?" Harry asked and Ron nodded.
"Of course. I have a feeling you'll come in handy." He motioned for Harry to stand up. "Come along now. We don't have all night." He turned to look at Hermione. "I came bearing the gifts of healing. Take them, and use them wisely." He pointed to the sack at his feet before he tuned and began to walk away.
Hermione followed them with their eyes as they walked away from her, leaving her to fend for herself. Once they'd disappeared behind the same bookcase Ron had stepped out behind of, Hermione turned back to her book. She was just in the process of reading about the mating habits, when a loud banging was heard.
She jumped in her chair and glanced up, only to find Neville, banging his head repeatedly against the table.
"Neville? What are you doing? Stop that, you'll hurt-" Hermione sat up in bed. "-yourself."
The banging continued, and some part of Hermione registered the sound as knocking. But the hairs on the back of her neck still rose and she grabbed her wand from the shared bedside table, barely sparing a glance at Draco before exiting the room.
There was another hard knock on the door as Hermione walked towards it, raising her wand in case of an attack. "Who is it?" she called.
The knocking stopped and for a few moments, all was silent.
"Rudolph."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she easily recognised Ron's voice, saying the ridiculous password, and she opened the door with a smile. Harry and Ron shuffled in, looking worse for wear, and Hermione immediately closed the door behind them to keep the warmth in. "Are you boys all right?"
Harry sat down heavily by the sturdy table, sighing as he was finally able to rest his tired body in a warm, safe place. "You got a spot of tea on you?"
"And something to eat," Ron added, placing his heavy backpack on the floor before sitting down in the chair opposite Harry, "would be great."
"What am I, your mother?" Hermione replied with a smile as she put some water on the stove.
"How's the English patient?" Harry asked.
"He's all right. His fever went back up and there's still a few smaller wounds that simply refuse to heal, but overall he's fine."
"We managed to met Remus before coming here. There's some potions in my pack," Ron said, motioning towards it.
Hermione frowned as she was hit with a sense of deja vu and she looked at the bag. After a few moments she shrugged it off and went back to making a nice, warm dinner for her two wayward best friends.
"We also caught up with Viktor. Asked about you. He seemed surprised you weren't with us," Harry said.
Hermione turned to face him, and found him and Ron looking expectantly at her, obviously waiting for an answer as to why she hadn't told Viktor anything.
"What did you tell him?" Hermione asked, ignoring their questioning looks.
"We said that you were helping Remus with something 'delicate'," Ron answered. "We couldn't exactly tell him you were with Malfoy, alone in a cabin somewhere out in the woods, now could we?"
"No, I guess not." Hermione took the water of the stove, and poured it into three cups and brought them over to the table.
"Are you ever going to tell him?" Harry asked as he accepted the hot tea Hermione handed him.
"Tell who what?"
"Viktor about you staying here?" Ron asked. "You know how jealous he gets. Even though the chances of anything happening between you and Malfoy are about as slim as anything happening between you and Harry, he won't like the idea of you being alone with Malfoy."
"And he'll like it even less if he has to hear it from some else. Makes it look as if you're hiding something," Harry continued.
"Viktor and I aren't together, even if he seems to think and behave otherwise. What I do or who I do it with is none of his concern." Hermione turned her back on them, signalling the end of the conversation.
Harry and Ron shared a look behind her back as they drank their tea.
~*~
"Hermione," Ron started, almost hesitantly. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Hermione looked at him, a guarded look on her face. Ron sat next to her on the small porch, drinking tea and relaxing. It was dark outside and Harry and Draco had already gone to bed. Hermione had wanted to stay outside for a while longer, enjoying the peace and quiet after the long day she'd had. While she enjoyed having Harry and Ron there with her again, taking care of Draco and Harry and Ron was a bit much. Especially as Ron and Draco wouldn't stop arguing.
"Like what?"
Ron shrugged casually. "I don't know... maybe something about your feelings for Malfoy?"
"What feelings now?" Hermione asked, stalling and hoping she'd heard wrong. Ron was one of the few people who was still able tell if she lied.
Ron gave her the look. "I've seen all day the way you two look at each other. Its sickening." He snorted. "I'm not exactly surprised, what with you being so eager to stay here and help him. I'm sure you've been very helpful."
Hermione gaped at him. "Excuse me? Did you just insinuate what I think you're insinuating?"
"What if I am?"
"You...you....gigantic arse!" She stood up. "You're just as bad as Viktor! My relationship with Draco doesn't concern you." She turned to walk inside in a huff, only to be stopped by Ron's words.
"So there is a relationship then?"
Hermione turned around to face him, only to find that he'd stood up as well, and was now standing mere inches away from her. "Not any more," she admitted quietly.
Ron shook his head in disbelief. "Any more? Any more?" he all but shouted.
"Will you keep it down?" Hermione glanced worriedly towards the door, hoping the two inside hadn't heard him.
"There's been a relationship before?" Ron demanded, quieter. "When?"
Hermione sighed, giving up. She'd been wanting to tell someone ever since it happened, and while Ron wasn't her first choice - or second or third even - as she'd already revealed that there'd been something there, she might as well tell him the whole story. "It wasn't really a relationship," she started. "I haven't actually told anyone-"
"I can't imagine why," Ron snarked, and Hermione gave him a look that clearly told him to shut up.
"As I said, I haven't told anyone, but in sixth year, he and I..." she trailed off.
"Shagged?"
Hermione blushed. "No!" she replied, before quietly adding, "It never got that far."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but continue."
"I was upset about you and Lavender," Ron had the grace to blush and shuffle his feet at Hermione's look, "and one night as I was in the library, avoiding you, I saw Draco. I decided to follow him, thinking I might as well do something useful."
"Why didn't you tell Harry? Or me?"
"I didn't want to speak to you, and Harry had enough. I figured I'd tell him if I actually found something." She shrugged.
"So then what happened?"
"He caught me, we argued for a while, he kissed me and I just... kissed back." Hermione blushed at the memory of their first, awkward kiss. "Then we avoided each other for a while, until one night when we ran into each other and he kissed me again."
"Malfoy kissed you?" Ron sounded doubtful.
"I'm very kissable I have you know," Hermione replied. "Just because you never realised it before it was too late, doesn't mean that others missed it too."
"I know." He sighed. "And then?"
"I thought that I might be able to get some information out of him somehow, and I didn't really care how."
"And you thought you might be able to what? Steal it from his mouth as you snogged him?"
"Ron, don't be like that."
"You were kissing the enemy! How do you think I'd react? Are you snogging him now too? Oh Merlin, no wonder you insist on sleeping in the same room as he." Ron started to pace in anger as his voice rose in volume. "He almost killed me. He's the reason Dumbledore is dead, and why Bill is a bleeding werewolf!"
Hermione shook her head. "Good night Ron," she said before she turned and hurried inside, closing the door before Ron had a chance to say something else he would hopefully regret in the morning.
Hermione walked through the quiet cabin towards the bathroom. She stopped briefly to place another blanket on top of the sleeping Harry and kiss his forehead lightly before she stepped into the bathroom to change.
Once she was dressed in proper pyjamas and her teeth were clean, she went into the bedroom. She sat down on her cot, and looked at Draco. He was sleeping on his side, his face turned towards her and she smiled slightly at how innocent he looked. It'd been a long day for him as well, from waking up to find Harry and Ron there, telling them what'd happened to him and going outside for the first time in a long while. He'd crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow, for which Hermione was grateful.
She knew that if he'd still been awake, he might've heard what Ron had said, or at the very least ask her what was wrong when she came inside.
Hermione leaned forward and kissed his forehead, pressing her lips against his skin longer than she'd done with Harry. She pulled away, and placed a hand on his cheek for a few moments before she sighed and laid down under the covers of her own bed.
She didn't want to think about Ron and what'd he'd said. Part of her knew he was just looking out for her, but another part knew that when it came to Draco, he simply couldn't see straight. Ever since their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express, anything Draco did simply rubbed Ron the wrong way and Hermione was beginning to think it was more than simple hatred of someone mean, prejudiced and not afraid to show it.
She thought he was jealous.
~*~
"All right, so the problem now is what we should do with Draco," Harry said, looking at Hermione and Ron sitting across from him at the small table. The way they ignored each other while trying not to be obvious about it reminded him of Hogwarts.
"I'm sitting right here you know," Draco said, looking put out at being talked about as if he wasn't in the room. He sat on the short end, next to Hermione.
Harry ignored him. "I think we should try to get him out of the country while Remus work on capturing Snape and clearing Draco's name."
"That'll take years," Ron grumbled.
Harry ignored him as well, choosing instead to focus on Hermione as he spoke. "Remus said he might not be able to do much for Draco while the War is still under way, but that it might be harder after its over."
"Maybe we can take him to the headquarters?" Hermione suggested. "He might be able to help... that way, we'd be able to protect him and it might help us clear his name easier. If he left the country, it'd look too much like he's running away."
"Which he did," Ron added, glaring at Draco.
Draco glared right back. "Like you wouldn't."
"I would never put myself in a position where I would have to run away," Ron replied, his ears turning pink.
Draco snorted. "That's not what I've heard."
Ron's eyes widened and he turned his glare on Hermione.
"That's enough!" Hermione said, interrupting whatever Ron had been about to say. "We're all tense and worried, but fighting each other isn't going to make things better."
"You know what'd make me feel better?" Ron asked. "Having friends who won't sell me out to the nearest ferret they can find."
Hermione sighed, looking at Harry for help. Draco simply glared at him, but didn't say a word.
"Ron," Harry said.
"You're taking their side now?"
"There are no sides," Harry insisted. "Except for us against the bad guys."
"He is a bad guy!"
"Ron, sit down," Hermione said tiredly.
"Oh I'm sorry, did I offend your boyfriend?" he asked, sounding anything but sorry.
Draco raised an eyebrow, shooting Hermione an amused look. Harry simply sighed, shaking his head.
"He's not my boyfriend. Now please sit down and act your age."
Ron sat down in a huff, crossing his arms against his chest in protest.
Hermione sighed before turning towards Harry. "Headquarters?"
"Its our best choice. I'll owl Remus as soon as Hedwig gets back and have him prepare it. I think it would be best if we left as soon as possible. As secluded as this cabin is, there are only so many wards protecting it and if a Death Eater, or the Ministry, found this place, they won't provide enough protection."
"Do you think its a good idea? Putting me in a house full of Order members?" Draco asked, looking worried. "I don't want to get better only to end up dead somewhere else by someone else's hand."
"I won't let that happen," Hermione assured him, placing one of her hands on his.
Ron snorted at the gesture, turning his head to look in the other direction.
"We'll explain everything before you get there. Don't worry. We're all aware of how easy it is to make a wrong call about someone."
"Snape?" Draco asked, turning his hand over so that his palm touched Hermione's.
"Snape," Harry agreed. "And Pettigrew, and Sirius..."
They were all quiet for a few moments, not really knowing what to say in response. There was a tapping on the window and they all turned towards it, expecting Hedwig to have returned from her food hunt. Instead, they found a non descriptive brown owl sitting on the window ledge, a roll of parchment tied to her leg.
Harry, who was closest, opened the window to let the owl in. Instead of entering the cabin, the owl simply looked at Harry, seemingly impatient for him to take the parchment. He did so, and as soon as it was off, the owl flew away in a hurry.
"What is it?" Ron asked as Harry closed the window again, frowning.
Harry opened the seal, and immediately recognised Remus' handwriting. "Its from Remus," he said, scanning the short letter. "Snape went back to the cabin. The Ministry have him in custody."
"That's great news," Hermione said, smiling. Her smile dimmed when she noticed Harry's frown. "Isn't it?"
"I'm not sure."
"What'd you mean you're not sure?" Ron asked, forgetting he was angry at everyone for a moment. "What does it say?"
"That's the thing. It doesn't say anything else." Harry showed them the letter.
"He might not have had more time to write it," Draco suggested.
"Maybe. It just strikes me as odd."
"I'm sure its nothing to worry about," Hermione said, though she too felt her worry grow. She squeezed Draco's hand without thought, as if he was slipping away and only their clasped hands could keep him by her side.
"You think its a set up?" Ron asked.
"It could be," Harry agreed, looking closer at the parchment.
"Aren't you all just a tad too paranoid?" Draco asked. "Its just a short letter. Lupin is a busy man. He's probably questioning Snape as we speak, and just wanted to give you the heads up. Nothing to write home about."
"We haven't survived this long by being reckless," Harry replied.
Hermione coughed to hide her snort and Ron raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Anyhow, if this is true, it means we can bring Draco back to the headquarters sooner than we thought," Harry continued, ignoring his two best friends.
"How soon?" Draco asked.
"A couple of days, a week at the most. Ron, Hermione and I need to get back out looking for the last Horcrux."
"Horcrux?" Draco asked. "What is that? I've heard it before."
The trio looked at him as one.
"Who told you?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"Snape. He was muttering about Dumbledore and Hogwarts and something about a Horcrux being in Hogwarts. He didn't know I'd woken up."
"In Hogwarts?" Hermione asked, horrified.
"Something about it being the perfect place. Visible, and under Dumbledore's nose. Something obvious yet unsuspecting."
"Obvious and unsuspecting? What in Hogwarts has been there for years, is obvious and unsuspecting, while at the same time under Dumbledore's nose?" Ron asked.
"One of his old school books perhaps?" Hermione suggested.
"I don't think he'd create two Horcruxes out of books," Harry said.
"Someone has got to tell me what a Horcrux is," Draco said, looking between the trio.
"Its an object in which a person has concealed a part of his or hers soul in," Hermione explained. "Voldemort has created several Horcruxes, because as long as the Horcrux is kept safe and whole, he will continue to exists even if his body is damaged or destroyed."
"So that's how he was able to come back?" Draco asked. "Because of his Horcruxes?"
"Yes," Harry said, nodding. "We've so far destroyed all but one Horcrux. Unless he's got more than we know about, but that seems unlikely. Once we've destroyed the last one, we should be able to kill him."
"We've searched through the Muggle orphanage where he lived as a child, the Chamber of Secrets and, of course, the Riddle house. We even searched through the place where his parents lived during their short time together, and various other places where his mother lived before she died," Ron said. "Are you sure Snape said it was at Hogwarts?"
"I'm pretty certain, as he went on to talk about how it had been under Dumbledore's nose the whole time..." Draco trailed off.
"Then it is likely that it is somewhere at Hogwarts," Harry finished, and Draco nodded.
"So we're going back to Hogwarts then?" Ron asked, turning to Harry.
"We should probably wait a few days, until the students have gone home for the holidays," Hermione suggested. "In the mean time, we should think of something that would mean enough for Voldemort to make a Horcrux out of it so that we don't have to resort to searching the entire castle. Also, when do you think he could've done it?"
"Most likely it was when he went back to Hogwarts to ask for the DADA position," Harry answered.
"So chances are, whatever the Horcrux is, it is not hidden away, as then Dumbledore would've known Voldemort stayed much longer than to simply ask for the position and maybe walk around the school," Hermione said, thinking.
"So its something visible, under Dumbledore's nose, that he could find easily and that no one would wonder why he was looking at it, or even holding it?" Ron asked. "We're never going to... Wait a minute. Wait just a minute now. The award!"
"The award?" Harry asked.
"His Special Award for Services to the School award. It's in the Trophy Room. I can't believe I didn't think about it sooner, I cleaned it enough times thanks to those blasted slugs."
"It has his name on it, so its visible," Harry said, nodding. "But no one would suspect it."
"It really was under Dumbledore's nose the entire time," Hermione continued.
"And he got it after Myrtle died, and that must've been significant to him. She was the first person he killed!" Ron finished excitedly. "Or, his Basilisk did it, but it was him all the same. I think we got it."
Hermione nodded. "I think so too. I hope so. Thank you Draco." She turned and smiled at him.
"Yes, thank you," Harry said.
"I'm just glad I could help," Draco replied.
Harry coughed and glared at Ron, who sighed exasperatedly before he too thanked Draco.
Draco gave him a short nod in reply. "So what happens now?" he asked Harry, while his thumb slowly caressed the soft skin on Hermione's hand.
~*~
“Lets go,” Harry said.
Hermione looked up from her tea, leaning forward slightly so he wouldn't notice the way she'd been leaning into Draco as she sat next to him, but like Ron, Harry either didn't notice, or didn't care about it.
“What? Now?” Ron asked from the other side of the table, looking up from the chess board. He and Draco had been playing for almost an hour, and while he would never admit it, it was the most fun he'd had in too long.
“Just got another owl from Remus,” Harry said, showing the parchment to him. “And McGonagall assured me that the students would've left by now, so it should be safe.”
“We're travelling with Portkey? Isn't that risky?” Ron asked once he'd read the letter. “I thought we were going to use a car to get to Hogwarts.”
“It would take too long,” Harry replied. “I want to get there and finish this now.”
Hermione sighed. “Where's the Portkey?”
“In the village. We have to be there in forty minutes, so you better get packing because we won't be coming back here unless we really have to.”
Less than thirty minutes later, the four left the cabin. Harry and Ron took the lead, carrying most of the packing. Hermione and Draco walked a few steps behind them, holding hands. Draco walked with a slight limp thanks to a particularly nasty gash in his right leg that refused to heal completely, something Hermione hoped Madam Pomfrey would be able to help him with once they arrived at Hogwarts.
Moments before they left the cabin the snow had started to fall again, and by the time they exited the forest and started to walk towards the small village just down the road, they were covered in it. It made Hermione smile, for reasons she herself didn't know.
Draco pulled her hand to his lips and turned it over, pressing a chaste kiss to her palm. His eyes sparkled, and before she could stop and think, she stopped. Draco halted in his tracks as well, looking down questioningly at her.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
Hermione shook her head, taking a step closer. She smiled up at him, the hand not holding his coming up to rest at his side as she stepped up on her toes. Their faces were mere breaths away from each others, and Draco wasted no time in closing the space between them, brushing his lips against Hermione's. It was nothing more than a fleeting touch, but Hermione felt it all over. She gasped as Draco pressed his lips harder against hers, taking advantage of her slightly open mouth to slide his tongue into it.
Hermione eagerly responded, sliding her tongue against his, her hand grasping the fabric of his new coat. Draco's arms went around her, one hand sliding into her hair and holding her head close to his.
“Oi! You two can do that later,” Ron called, annoyed.
Hermione and Draco immediately broke away, and Hermione turned to find Harry and Ron standing several feet away, looking expectantly at them. Hermione blushed, glancing up at Draco.
“We don't have all day,” Ron reminded them, before turning on his heel and continuing his walk towards the village.
“He's right,” Hermione said, sighing. She too resumed walking, and Draco was quick to catch up with her, taking her hand in his again.
Hermione smiled down at their clasped hands before looking up at him. “I have a very good feeling about this,” she said, squeezing his hand lightly. She didn't say whether she meant the Horcrux, the War or the two of them.
She didn't have to.
“Me too,” Draco replied. “Me too.”
The End.
Ron was behaving childish and juvenile quite a lot, I'm aware. However, they are 17/18, so I hope it wasn't too OOC from how he might behave. Also, I know that the request said 'Draco tied up somehow', and I had him chained up instead. Sorry about that, and I hope its all right. I thought about having him being tied up during sex - hehe - but then I realised I'd have to write smut - or at least hint to it, as you only wanted up to R - so that idea was trashed. :P
Request:
Name/Pen Name: Kirsty
LJ Username: thrifts
E-mail: aneonshine@aol.com
Rating(s) you’re willing to write: any
Rating(s) of the fic you want: anything up to R
Three things you want your fic to include: 1. for it to take place
during their 7th year. Either at school or on the run, I don't mind.
2. Draco tied up somehow. 3. a happy ending.
Three things you do not want your fic to include: 1. anything in
canon being ignored. 2. rape. 3. Being overly open about their
relationship, the fewer people who know about it the better.
Anything specific that you do not want to write: nope
Thank-you for Celebrating the Season with Draco and Hermione!
Title: The Cabin
Author: reetinkerbell
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own, kind of wish I did.
Long Ass Authors Note: I almost literally just finished this. Any mistakes? Terribly sorry. All my fault. But I really wanted to get this posted before tomorrow, as that's when we celebrate Christmas here, and after that I'm leaving for a couple of days and bla bla bla no one cares.
Anyway, throughout the whole process of writing this story, I've been feeling utterly uninspired, which I'm sure is reflected in my story. This is by far not my best work, but thankfully its not my worst. I hope you guys will like it. I would like to thank the wonderful person who helped me out with this - read it and told me honestly what she thought and who pointed out the mistakes I'd made. I'd mention her by name, but that'd be telling, so that'll have to wait. I would also like to give a special thanks for someone - whom shall not be named yet either - for telling me about...well, she knows, and I'll do a more proper credit after the exchange is fully over.
I am a backup writer, thus I didn't have as much time as most to get this written and is also one of the main reasons as to why this was late. However, I have had more time than some of the other backup writers, so at least that's something. :P
This is a very wordy story. Not just in the sense that there's a lot of words, but in the sense that they talk a lot. I seem to have forgotten that people don't just talk - they do stuff too. :P Sorry.
Anyway, enough from me. Please, enjoy the story.
Summary: Left to die by the one person he trusts, Draco soon finds himself under the gentle care of Hermione.
The Cabin
“Oh Merlin,” Hermione breathed, placing a hand over her open mouth, hoping she wouldn't get sick.
“Hermione, maybe you should step outside for a while,” Harry said, making it more of a command than anything else. He'd gotten good at that in the months following Dumbledore's death, and no matter how many times she heard it, or noticed his changing behaviour, it still broke her heart when she realised that he wasn't the same boy she'd met on the train all those years ago. He was a man now. A man with a mission.
Which was how they'd found themselves at the cabin in the first place. Because of the mission.
Tears came unbidden to her eyes and Hermione felt numb as Ron silently escorted her out of the small house, placing her gently on the front steps. After making sure she was all right, Ron went back into the cabin, closing the door quietly behind him.
Hermione shuddered. She'd seen some pretty horrific things in her time, but finding Draco Malfoy after months of worrying, chained up against a wall - unconscious, malnourished and barely breathing - covered in dried blood and dirt, with multiple unattended wounds marring his body, was one of the most horrible sights yet.
Based on a tip from someone at the Ministry, the trio had arrived at the secluded cabin in hopes of finding something that would lead them to the last Horcrux. Never in her wildest dreams had Hermione thought they'd find Draco, much less find him in the condition he was currently in.
No, in Hermione's wildest dreams, he'd never gone missing in the first place.
Hermione pushed the thought away and took a few calming breaths as she looked around herself. The cabin was placed in a small clearing, and the forest around her was dark and quiet, lulling her into a false sense of security.
She'd dreamed about seeing him again for so long now, and to find him like this... Hermione shuddered again, wrapping her arms around herself to ward against the sudden chill.
She could hear Harry and Ron move around inside, most likely freeing Draco from his chains and helping him move to a softer, more comfortable surface. Part of her wanted to be in there, helping him, but it was better to let Harry and Ron take care of him for now. They knew what they were doing, and she knew they wouldn't mind doing it, despite what their personal feelings towards the blond were.
If Hermione went in there, she would only end up breaking down at the sight of him, broken and bleeding, and she didn't want to deal with the questions and demands for an explanation she knew Harry and Ron would subject her to when they noticed her reaction. Draco needed them to focus their attention on helping him, and not on questioning her.
“I wonder what happened to Snape.”
Hermione jumped slightly at the sound of Ron's voice, not having heard him step outside. She turned around to face him and followed him with her eyes as he sat down heavily next to her, his face tired.
“What makes you think he wasn't the one who left him here?” Hermione asked angrily. “If Draco dies, it wouldn't be the first person Snape's killed in the past year.”
“I thought Harry said Dumbledore made Snape kill him? Because of the Vow and him already dying from the poison?”
“And Harry's always right, isn't he?” Hermione snorted, looking away from Ron.
“Hermione...”
“No. Just, don't. You know almost everyone is trying to make Harry think Snape really isn't evil. Because they can't get over the fact that he tricked them all into thinking he was actually good all these years. They feel betrayed. And while they hate him and they know deep inside that he murdered Dumbledore, they don't want to admit it. And they're rubbing off on Harry.” Hermione gave him a look. “And onto you too apparently.”
“For all we know it could've been someone else-”
“Someone else? Like who? Another Death Eater? There aren't many left now. Besides, I get the feeling that they would've wanted to watch him die. No. This reeks of Snape and his cowardliness.”
“Why are you being so adamant about this?”
“Why aren't you?” Their eyes locked. “Look, someone chained Draco up and left him to die. Now he may not have been your most favourite person in the world, but as far as we know, he's still innocent.” At Ron's look, Hermione backtracked. “Or as innocent as any of us. And even if he isn't, he doesn't deserve this.” She waved a hand in the direction of the cabin. “You know that.”
Ron nodded. “But just because he was last seen with Snape, doesn't mean that he did it. We've jumped to the wrong conclusion when it comes to him before.”
“No. But taken into account that Draco is the only one alive aside from Snape and Harry who actually saw Snape kill Dumbledore, and the two have obviously been travelling together, I'd say its a safe bet,” Hermione replied. “And, Snape doesn't even know that Harry was there.”
“True.” Ron paused for a moment as he thought. “But why didn't he just kill Malfoy? Why leave him here like this?”
“I don't know,” Hermione admitted. “Maybe he didn't want to risk the killing curse as the Ministry would be able to track him easier, and despite all the evil things he's done in his life, he couldn't bare killing Draco with his bare hands?” She shrugged. “I really have no idea. But I'm planning on doing my best to find out, starting with having a talk with whoever knows where that Ministry tip came from.”
“You think it might've been from Snape?” Ron asked.
“Yes.”
They sat together in silence for a few moments before Ron frowned. “That's a contradiction though,” he said.
“What is?” Hermione asked, looking up at him.
“If Snape wanted Draco dead, but didn't want to do the actual deed himself, he could've just left him here and not let anyone know about this place.”
“Right...”
“But if he's the one that tipped the Ministry off, then he did let someone know. It doesn't make sense.”
“And you rather someone else had found him and instead of helping him, sent a cryptic note to the Ministry that it took Remus almost two weeks to deem safe?” Not giving Ron a chance to answer, Hermione continued. “Besides, its Snape we're talking about. Who knows how he thinks. And, you saw Draco better than I did. Tell me, how long do you think he would've been alive if we hadn't found him when we did?”
Ron hesitated. “Hermione,” he started carefully. “We may have been too late.”
Hermione stared at him. “What?”
“He's weak. Lost a lot of blood.” Ron shook his head. “Harry is in there now giving him some of the last emergency Blood-Replenishing Potion, but he needs more. If we don't get him to St. Mungo's, or at the very least get a Healer out here soon...” he trailed off, knowing Hermione would understand what he was saying.
I'm going to lose him all over again, Hermione thought, her heart breaking. She squeezed her eyes shut against the onslaught of tears, not wanting Ron to see them.
“I'm surprised he's managed to hold on for as long as he has,” Ron continued, oblivious to Hermione's inner turmoil.
Hermione sighed. “Maybe Snape thought he'd be dead by the time anyone would think it safe to check this place out,” she suggested, her voice low. “He's known Draco ever since he was a child. Maybe Snape felt guilty about leaving him out here without a proper burial.”
Ron shrugged. “Maybe. As you said, who knows how Snape thinks?”
~*~
Almost an hour later, Harry stepped out onto the porch, his face grim and tired. Hermione and Ron looked at him expectantly as he sat down on Hermione's other side, resting his head in his hands.
“How is he?” Hermione finally asked, not being able to stand the silence and the not knowing.
Harry sighed. “Not well. He's sleeping now, and I've cleaned his wounds, but its going to take time.”
“We don't have time,” Ron reminded him.
“I know.”
They sat in quiet for a while, before Ron spoke up. “Shouldn't we be thinking about taking him to St. Mungo's?” he asked.
Hermione shook her head. “The Ministry is still looking for him remember? We may know that he didn't kill Dumbledore, but you know how they are. They won't listen. Personally, I think its because of Lucius and the Lestranges. And I mean, just look at what they did to Stan, and he was just an innocent bystander. Can you imagine what they'll do to Draco?”
“Hermione's right,” Harry said. “We need to find someone who isn't part of the Ministry and who is not only willing, but able, to take care of him while we search for the last Horcrux. The sooner we find it, the sooner all of this will be over and Draco will be able to get proper care.”
“What about Mum?” Ron asked, breaking the pregnant silence that'd settled between the trio. “She could take care of him. You know she won't mind much.”
“Its too risky,” Harry said. “We'd either have to bring Draco to her, or have her come here. If she suddenly went into hiding, people are going to suspect something. And, I don't think we can hide Draco in the house.”
The house he was referring to was Grimmauld Place, where the Order had once again taken up residence after the death of Narcissa Malfoy. By then, Bellatrix and her husband had already been killed, and the only ones left from the Black family were Tonks and Draco.
And they weren't even sure Draco knew about the house.
“I could stay.”
Harry and Ron both turned to look at Hermione, various degrees of shock on their faces.
“You want to stay?” Harry asked.
Hermione nodded. “I know enough about Healing and-” she started, only to be interrupted by Ron.
“Wait just a minute. If you think for one blasted second that either of us want to leave you alone out here with that git, you're mad.”
“Ron, I can take care of myself. Besides, he's too weak to do anything, and we can't leave him to St. Mungo's. And quite honestly, I don't trust many others to look after him and not turn him in,” Hermione replied. “Furthermore, the less people who knows about him still being alive, the better. Harry can't stay, and you don't know enough about Healing to take care of him on your own. And the only two other people I trust with something like this are Remus and Viktor, neither of who can easily get away without questioning.”
Harry sighed as Ron and Hermione glared at each other, seemingly arguing silently. After only a few moments, Ron looked away and sighed, obviously losing that battle.
“But we can't leave you here,” he said.
Hermione started to protest and Ron held up a hand, halting her words. “What if whoever did this to Draco comes back?”
“I didn't think about that,” Hermione admitted.
“Why are you so eager and willing to help him?” Harry asked, looking curiously at Hermione.
Hermione shrugged, hoping she looked casual as she answered, “He might be useful.”
Ron snorted. When Hermione turned to glare at him, he looked the other way, pretending to be interested in the forest.
Harry sighed. “Ron's right though, the two of you can't stay here.”
“We can figure that out tomorrow,” Hermione said, standing up. “I don't know about you two, but I could use something to eat and a good nights sleep. And, I would like to check up on Draco.”
Ron stood up. “Why do you insist on calling him Draco?”
“It's his name, isn't it?” Hermione replied sarcastically.
“Doesn't mean you have to call him that,” Ron grumbled as he followed her into the cabin.
~*~
Four days had passed since they'd first found Draco, and as he hadn't been well enough to Apparate - not even if he was merely along for the ride - they had all stayed back at the cabin until he was because Harry and Ron didn't want to leave Hermione alone in the cabin. Luckily, it hadn't taken too long for Draco to get well enough to be moved and soon the four were safely hidden in another cabin provided by Lupin on the other side of the country.
Harry and Ron left not long after and while Hermione settled herself and Draco in, they went to meet Remus. They returned shortly after with various necessary potion ingredients and supplies before they left once more.
Remus had been a lifesaver, and Hermione didn't know what they would've done without him. When Dumbledore died, Remus had really stepped up to the plate and taken care of the Order, for which they were all grateful. He was a natural born leader, and he was one of the few people they all trusted. And one of the only ones who firmly believed that if Snape had killed Dumbledore on anyone's orders, it surely hadn't been Dumbledore's.
Harry had owled him the morning after they found, Draco, giving him as much information as he dared, before asking him to 'take care of it' the way Dumbledore would've, which he had.
The same day the four arrived at the new cabin, Hedwig had appeared with the Daily Prophet. The papers front page bravely proclaimed that Draco Malfoy had been found dead in a secluded cabin by a group of Aurors two days before, after an anonymous tip had been sent to the Ministry. Along with the paper was a hastily written note from Remus, telling them that the cabin in question was under surveillance, should Snape come back to the scene of the crime.
Once Harry and Ron were sure that Hermione would be all right alone with only the sick Draco as company, they left. Hermione found herself focusing all her time and energy on Draco, and she desperately hoped that she was doing the right thing, helping him. It had been months since they'd last met, and many things could've changed in that time. For all she knew, he was a killer, and didn't deserve her help. Or anyone else's for that matter.
The cabin was quiet, and while it wasn't as dark and secluded as the previous one, Hermione felt lonely. For months now, she'd had Harry and Ron with her day in and day out as they searched for the remaining Horcruxes. Every now and then she got tired of constantly having them around her, but now that they weren't, she felt abandoned. Hopefully, the feeling would pass as soon as Draco woke up and was lucid enough to speak to her.
Until then, she would care for him and hope that she wasn't making a huge mistake, not taking him to St. Mungo's or leaving Harry and Ron to their own devises. Merlin only knew how many reckless chances they actually took, without a real care for their own safety.
She just hoped they would be more careful now that they were so close to victory.
As she carefully washed the wounds on Draco's torso with a soft sponge, letting the water dribble down his sides and soak into the bedding, her thoughts went back to the first and only time she'd seen his naked chest, and how different it'd looked from now. He'd been pale, and not in the sickly pasty sense as he was now. There hadn't been any wounds, scrapes or even scars marring his body, and his skin had been soft to the touch, stretched across his lean and healthy frame. He still had the fine blond hairs around his navel, leading down to there, and his nipples were still rosy pink against the white skin, for which Hermione was glad.
As much as his appearance had changed due to what'd happened to him, parts of him were still the same.
Hermione remembered some of the naughtier dreams she'd had over the past year, kissing and licking that chest, nipping into the skin and leaving red love bites, marking him, hoping they wouldn't fade away too soon. How he'd smile at her before rolling them over and doing the same to her, only harder and more daringly.
Now, he had red marks all over his chest, and Hermione turned her eyes away, ashamed of her schoolgirl fantasies of him. She washed the sponge in the bowl of water she'd put on the floor next to her bent knees earlier as she tried to keep her mind off of her dreams.
As she wrung most of the water out of the soft sponge, Hermione's thoughts wandered in the direction of Hogwarts. She found herself doing so more and more lately, and every time she thought about her beloved school, it broke her heart. It made her think of Dumbledore, and his calming presence. Of the library and the many books she had yet to read. Of simpler times when her biggest worry was getting her homework done in time, and not how to survive the night. When Harry and Ron spent the evenings playing chess together instead of training on spells or planning their next move. When they laughed and were happy, and not on edge.
Hermione missed Hogwarts more than she dared to admit to Harry and Ron. She knew they missed the school also - especially Harry - but they never talked about it, so Hermione didn't either. No matter how much she actually wanted to.
Draco groaned but luckily didn't wake up as Hermione pressed the sponge a little too hard against a particularly nasty cut, and Hermione winced in sympathy. While she would love it if he woke up, so that she could talk to him again and look into his beautiful grey eyes, she was glad that he was out light a light. No reason for him to be awake and fully aware of the pain.
She brushed away a few stray locks of hair from his damn brow, soothing the frown that'd settled there. His hair was longer than she'd ever seen it before, and she made a mental note of cutting it for him once he felt a bit better. It was still as soft as she remembered, albeit still dirty, as she'd been unable to clean it properly.
As she ran her fingers through his almost shoulder long hair, her eyes started to water. And once the flood gates opened, the tears wouldn't stop. In a matter of seconds, Hermione was crying. Her shoulders shook as she dry heaved, trying to get some much needed air into her lungs. She laid her head down next to Draco's on his pillow, hiding her head in his warm neck as she finally let go of all her bottle up sadness and pain.
Not since Dumbledore's funeral had she cried - not even when she'd seen Neville die, almost right in front of her or the following funeral, and she'd loved him. Not nearly as much as she loved Harry or Ron, but he'd always been a very good friend to her and she missed him.
It had been hard, to hide the pain and not cry. But she'd done it for Harry and Ron, because they didn't need to see how sad she really was. It would only make them feel worse and Hermione didn't want to cause them any more pain. And she certainly didn't want them feeling any guilt over taking her with them on their Horcrux quests, as it was her choice to go and not theirs.
Hermione cried almost desperately for several moments more before she pulled herself together. She felt exhausted and tired, while at the same time lighter and stronger. Like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She wiped away the tears staining her cheeks, wondering why she hadn't let go and cried earlier. It wasn't like she couldn't have done it while Harry and Ron slept, or at a time when the two simply weren't paying attention to her.
Draco groaned, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts, and she looked down at him. He was scowling, his eyes shut tight and Hermione placed her hand on his hot forehead, palm up, hoping that her cooler skin would bring him a small measure of comfort. Draco opened his eyes, and for the first time in months, Hermione met his eyes. But instead of seeing the rather cold grey she was accustom to, she was met by dull eyes, clouded over in fever.
“'emione?” he managed to scratch out, his throat raw from lack of use.
“Shh...” Hermione hushed him, her voice barely a whisper. She smiled down at him, “You should be sleeping,” she continued in the same soft voice.
Draco closed his eyes as he swallowed, looking as if the simple act caused him a great deal of pain. “'m dead?”
“No. You almost died though.” She caressed his forehead softly. “But you're safe now.”
“'hurts.”
“I know baby.” Hermione leaned down and pressed her lips gently against his. “Sleep,” she whispered against his lips.
It looked though as Draco wanted to say something more, but instead he simply looked up at Hermione for a few moments before he closed his eyes. Soon he was asleep once more.
~*~
"Haven't heard from Harry and Ron in quite a while," Hermione said, glancing over at Draco who lay silent on his cot. "If it wasn't for Remus and his owls, I'd worry even more about them than I already do."
Hermione walked out of the small bedroom over to the smaller kitchen area, quickly rinsing her tea cup out with some water before placing it in the sink. After drying her hands on the hand towel hanging on a hook on the wall, she walked back into the bedroom.
"Its a good thing you don't need any more Blood-Replenishing Potion, as we're all out," she continued, ignoring Draco's silence. "Of course, you know that already." She smiled slightly to herself as she fussed over Draco's bed sheet, wrapping it tighter around him.
It had been days now since Harry and Ron left, and while Draco woke up every so often, he was rarely lucid enough to have an actual conversation with her. Growing tired and unnerved by the constant silence, Hermione had taken it upon herself to talk to Draco, even if he couldn't always hear her, and never replied. She never asked questions, choosing instead to talk about her days, and read the letters Remus sent out loud, or tell him stories her mother had read to her as a child.
Had Draco been at St. Mungo's or back at Hogwarts under the efficient care of Madam Pomfrey, Hermione was sure that he would've been healed up and on his feet already. Because of her rather limited resources, she knew it would take him longer to get fully well again. Remus had sent as much as he could with his owls, as the fireplace wasn't connected to the Floo Network and he wasn't able to Apparate back and forth to the cabin.
And as Hermione was reluctant to use magic while stuck in the same place, knowing the Ministry would be able to find her if she did, Remus had to send her the ingredients in their original size, which meant he couldn't send much at the same time.
Hermione wasn't sure she could trust anyone else with the knowledge of Draco's whereabouts - aside from maybe Viktor - which left left only her to provide for him in every way she could.
And as much as Hermione knew about healing, she was far from being a registered Healer. Most of the potions that would've helped Draco greatly, she wasn't able to cook up or legally give to him, should Remus actually get his hands on the sought after potions. And with the Ministry's increasing paranoia, you now had to be approved by the Ministry to use certain charms and potions, or it was illegal. In addition, Hermione had heard several rumours about Scrimgeour allowing a new secret Department into the Ministry, which sole purpose was to keep track of the magic folks, recording every spell they cast, and potion they brew. Nothing was certain, but Hermione had a feeling there was at least some truth to the rumours.
"Its getting colder outside," Hermione said, walking over to Draco's bed and sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Winter is here. I know how much you love the Winter. With the snow," she stroke his hair softly, "the snow fights, the hot cocoa... Shorter and darker days... Christmas and New Years Eve..." she trailed off as Draco's eyelids fluttered open.
"Hey," she whispered, smiling down at him.
Draco smiled slightly in response, blinking rapidly to get used to the light. He raised a hand up to Hermione's cheek, gently stroking her skin with his fingertips. He cupped Hermione's face in his hand and in turn, Hermione raised her own hand and cupped his in it.
"How are you feeling?" Hermione continued just as softly.
Draco groaned, screwing his eyes shut for a moment before looking back up at her. Hermione was relieved to see the clear and lucid look in his eyes, indicating that his fever had gone down, maybe even completely.
"That bad huh?"
Draco gave a brief nod in reply.
"Do you want some water? It'd be good for your throat." Without waiting for his reply, Hermione stood up and walked out into the kitchen. Soon she was back at his side, holding a tall glass of water, complete with five ice cubes and one long straw.
After helping him sit up and lean against the many pillows behind him, Hermione gave him the glass. Draco accepted it with a smile in thanks, but as soon as Hermione let go, it slid through Draco's hand and the ice cold water spilled out all over him. Draco jumped in shock as the water hit him, the old sheet covering him not providing a whole lot of protection as it absorbed the water and stuck to his skin,
Hermione jumped in shock as well, quickly grabbing the glass now lying on Draco's barely covered chest. After placing the now empty glass on the bedside table, Hermione all but ran into the nearby bathroom, grabbing a couple of towels before she hurried back into the bedroom. In the short time she'd been away, Draco had slowly and painfully started to remove the soaked sheet, holding it away from his body and glaring at it with distaste.
Thought she'd already seen his chest on numerous occasions - not to mention the many times she'd seen it in her dreams - it was quite a different thing to see it again now that he was awake. Reminded her of the first time she'd seen it, back in sixth year.
And there was no reason for her to dwell on the past when there was a sick, wounded and very cold Draco to take care of, now was there?
"Here," she said abruptly, almost shoving a towel into his arms to use for cover before she removed the wet sheet. She barely waited for him to cover up before she removed it, and placed it on a nearby chair, deciding that getting Draco dry again came before worrying about the laundry.
Draco's face flushed as he adjusted the towel around his waist, looking up at Hermione to see if she was watching him. Hermione - having already seen that particular place before - did her best to pretend she didn't notice what he'd been doing as she helped him sit up. "The mattress is wet too," she explained as he peered up at her curiously. "And I can't take it outside with you on it."
She helped him over towards the bed she'd been sleeping in, which stood right next to his. The cabin only had one bedroom, but luckily Remus had more than one bed, for which Hermione was grateful. While she wouldn't have minded much to crawl into the same bed as Draco and spend the night wrapped around him, she didn't dare do so while he was still sick and hurt.
Once Draco was tucked into her bed, looking mighty comfortable and snug, Hermione removed the bedding and mattress from his bed and stalked off towards the bathroom with it.
~*~
"I think I may have to bandage your wounds again," Hermione said, looking critically at Draco's chest. The water had soaked into the bandages, and she was sure it wasn't healthy to leave them on.
"I'm sorry," Draco managed to get out, looking ashamed.
"No, I'm sorry. I should've remembered how tired your muscles get when you're sick. And you haven't moved in a very long time even before you were sick," Hermione replied. "Don't worry. It'll only take me a few moments to change them."
As she worked, she could feel Draco's steady gaze on her. She'd become an expert on bandaging wounds during the past few days, and she could almost do it in her sleep now. Which was a very good thing, as the feel of Draco's hot breath on her neck as she bent closer towards him, and the feel of his eyes on her was a big distraction.
Remove old bandage, carefully dry the wound, inspect said wound, clean it, apply cream, wait, put new bandage on.
Hermione repeated the process until all his wounds were redressed in new bandages. "Well, it looks like you won't be needing a bath today, what with you already having had a shower," she kidded, meeting his yes.
"You've given me baths?" Draco asked, his eyes wide and expression shocked.
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly. "You had wounds all over. I had to clean them."
"All over"? Draco raised an eyebrow as the beginning of a smirk formed on his lips.
"Well..." Hermione trailed off as her cheeks turned red. "I was the only one here and erm... I didn't look!"
"Of course you didn't." Draco sounded amused as he winked.
"Oh you..." Hermione rose up from the side of her bed, and after gathering up the cream and bandages, she left the room.
"Hermione..." Draco called in a sing-song voice from within the room as she dumped the old bandages in the waste basket.
"Hermione," he called again as she placed the cream back in the bathroom cupboard and made a mental note to make some more.
"Hermione, come back here," he cried as she scooped up the towels and sheet and placed them in the washer. It was a good thing Remus never used magic if he could prevent it when he stayed in the cabin, as that meant it was equipped with the necessaries. Hermione would never have been able to do all the dishes, laundry and general cleaning and cooking by hand.
"Hermione!" Draco shouted as loudly as he could without hurting his throat as she prepared another glass of water for him.
When Hermione entered the bedroom again, Draco was sitting up against her pillows, a sullen look on his face, and his arms crossed over his chest.
"I called for you," he said when he noticed her.
"So I heard," Hermione replied. "Here you go," she walked over and sat down next to him, holding the glass out towards him.
Draco turned his head away in protest, and if Hermione didn't know any better, she could've swore he was pouting. "You're such a big baby," she complained, placing the glass on the side table. "How old are you anyway?"
"I'm hurt," he said. "And sick."
"I know! I'm the one who's been trying to get you better remember? And what do I get for my troubles? A whiny, spoiled brat is what I get!" Hermione fumed. "And to think I actually wanted you to wake up and get better. You act like you've never been sick before."
"I haven't," Draco admitted, softly now as his throat started to protest against the strain of speaking after being silent for so long. And, because Hermione was right. She'd been taking care of him, and wasn't that so nice of her?
"Never?" Hermione sounded doubtful.
"There are cures against every sickness, if you have the money to pay for them, and no qualms about the manner of which they are acquired," Draco answered, sounding every bit of pure blooded aristocrat he was born to be. "Longest I've been ill before this was when I got sick at Hogwarts and it took Crabbe and Goyle too long to realise I was ill and needed to go to the Hospital Wing."
Hermione groaned as she put her head in her hands, hiding her face from his view.
"You cut your hair," Draco said suddenly, leaning forward.
Hermione looked up at him, frowning slightly at the abrupt change of subjects. She raised a hand towards her hair, touching the short bob her hair had been in for so long she'd forgotten what it felt like to have long hair. "You noticed it just now?"
Draco nodded.
"Oh. Well, it was just easier this way. All that bushy hair got in the way," Hermione joked, smiling slightly.
Draco didn't smile back. "I really liked it."
"Liked what?"
"That bushy hair of yours. Its a shame you cut it."
"You liked it?" Though she tried to stop it, Hermione couldn't prevent the slight flush that rose on her cheeks or the butterflies that suddenly erupted in her stomach at his words.
"Yeah." Draco leaned back against the pillows. "This isn't bad either, but I liked it long."
"It'll grow out again," Hermione said, breaking the pregnant silence that'd settled between them.
"Good." Draco closed his eyes, and Hermione took it as a signal that their conversation was over.
She shook her head in amusement as she quietly stood and exited the room.
She never saw Draco's eyes open or the hint of sadness that reflected in them at her departure before he closed them once more. He burrowed down in her bed, ignoring the stabbing pain in his right leg as he breathed in Hermione's scent.
~*~
Later that night - after finding a second mattress and making her bed on Draco's cot - as Hermione slept, she dreamt of Hogwarts. In the dream, she was sitting together with Draco in the library, studying for their Potions NEWT's. Draco was reading about the mating rituals of white ferrets, while she focused on green dragons and the proper way of caring for their golden eggs.
Harry and Neville sat together at a table next to theirs, playing a lively game of wizards chess. Every time one of Harry's pawn took one of Neville's - which happened quite often. Hermione was surprised Neville had any pawns left - they shouted obscenities at him. Neville just laughed it off as more and more of his men were cut down and pulled off the board.
"This is truly fascinating," Draco said, showing his open book to Viktor who'd sat down next to him.
Viktor nodded vigorously in agreement. He looked up at Hermione and the smile left his face as he frowned at her. "Hermy-own-ninny?"
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Isn't this just precious?" Snape suddenly appeared from behind a bookcase. He was wearing his customary black robes and as he turned, Hermione thought she saw someone hiding beneath them. "The whole family gathered around the Christmas tree. Where's the jolly old fool? You aren't allowed to sing the carols without him."
Just as he finished speaking, Ron walked out from behind a bookcase opposite of where Snape stood. Hermione gaped at his appearance, never having seen him dressed in so much red before, much less in an actual Santa suit.
He placed the heavy back pack he'd been carrying over his shoulder on the floor, looking around at the gathered people. "I'm looking for Rudolph," he said, absently scratching his long white beard with one hand. "He's about three times my age and he has two small red eyes. Anyone seen him? He took something of mine." No one responded. "It is my duty to find him."
"Can I come too?" Harry asked and Ron nodded.
"Of course. I have a feeling you'll come in handy." He motioned for Harry to stand up. "Come along now. We don't have all night." He turned to look at Hermione. "I came bearing the gifts of healing. Take them, and use them wisely." He pointed to the sack at his feet before he tuned and began to walk away.
Hermione followed them with their eyes as they walked away from her, leaving her to fend for herself. Once they'd disappeared behind the same bookcase Ron had stepped out behind of, Hermione turned back to her book. She was just in the process of reading about the mating habits, when a loud banging was heard.
She jumped in her chair and glanced up, only to find Neville, banging his head repeatedly against the table.
"Neville? What are you doing? Stop that, you'll hurt-" Hermione sat up in bed. "-yourself."
The banging continued, and some part of Hermione registered the sound as knocking. But the hairs on the back of her neck still rose and she grabbed her wand from the shared bedside table, barely sparing a glance at Draco before exiting the room.
There was another hard knock on the door as Hermione walked towards it, raising her wand in case of an attack. "Who is it?" she called.
The knocking stopped and for a few moments, all was silent.
"Rudolph."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she easily recognised Ron's voice, saying the ridiculous password, and she opened the door with a smile. Harry and Ron shuffled in, looking worse for wear, and Hermione immediately closed the door behind them to keep the warmth in. "Are you boys all right?"
Harry sat down heavily by the sturdy table, sighing as he was finally able to rest his tired body in a warm, safe place. "You got a spot of tea on you?"
"And something to eat," Ron added, placing his heavy backpack on the floor before sitting down in the chair opposite Harry, "would be great."
"What am I, your mother?" Hermione replied with a smile as she put some water on the stove.
"How's the English patient?" Harry asked.
"He's all right. His fever went back up and there's still a few smaller wounds that simply refuse to heal, but overall he's fine."
"We managed to met Remus before coming here. There's some potions in my pack," Ron said, motioning towards it.
Hermione frowned as she was hit with a sense of deja vu and she looked at the bag. After a few moments she shrugged it off and went back to making a nice, warm dinner for her two wayward best friends.
"We also caught up with Viktor. Asked about you. He seemed surprised you weren't with us," Harry said.
Hermione turned to face him, and found him and Ron looking expectantly at her, obviously waiting for an answer as to why she hadn't told Viktor anything.
"What did you tell him?" Hermione asked, ignoring their questioning looks.
"We said that you were helping Remus with something 'delicate'," Ron answered. "We couldn't exactly tell him you were with Malfoy, alone in a cabin somewhere out in the woods, now could we?"
"No, I guess not." Hermione took the water of the stove, and poured it into three cups and brought them over to the table.
"Are you ever going to tell him?" Harry asked as he accepted the hot tea Hermione handed him.
"Tell who what?"
"Viktor about you staying here?" Ron asked. "You know how jealous he gets. Even though the chances of anything happening between you and Malfoy are about as slim as anything happening between you and Harry, he won't like the idea of you being alone with Malfoy."
"And he'll like it even less if he has to hear it from some else. Makes it look as if you're hiding something," Harry continued.
"Viktor and I aren't together, even if he seems to think and behave otherwise. What I do or who I do it with is none of his concern." Hermione turned her back on them, signalling the end of the conversation.
Harry and Ron shared a look behind her back as they drank their tea.
~*~
"Hermione," Ron started, almost hesitantly. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Hermione looked at him, a guarded look on her face. Ron sat next to her on the small porch, drinking tea and relaxing. It was dark outside and Harry and Draco had already gone to bed. Hermione had wanted to stay outside for a while longer, enjoying the peace and quiet after the long day she'd had. While she enjoyed having Harry and Ron there with her again, taking care of Draco and Harry and Ron was a bit much. Especially as Ron and Draco wouldn't stop arguing.
"Like what?"
Ron shrugged casually. "I don't know... maybe something about your feelings for Malfoy?"
"What feelings now?" Hermione asked, stalling and hoping she'd heard wrong. Ron was one of the few people who was still able tell if she lied.
Ron gave her the look. "I've seen all day the way you two look at each other. Its sickening." He snorted. "I'm not exactly surprised, what with you being so eager to stay here and help him. I'm sure you've been very helpful."
Hermione gaped at him. "Excuse me? Did you just insinuate what I think you're insinuating?"
"What if I am?"
"You...you....gigantic arse!" She stood up. "You're just as bad as Viktor! My relationship with Draco doesn't concern you." She turned to walk inside in a huff, only to be stopped by Ron's words.
"So there is a relationship then?"
Hermione turned around to face him, only to find that he'd stood up as well, and was now standing mere inches away from her. "Not any more," she admitted quietly.
Ron shook his head in disbelief. "Any more? Any more?" he all but shouted.
"Will you keep it down?" Hermione glanced worriedly towards the door, hoping the two inside hadn't heard him.
"There's been a relationship before?" Ron demanded, quieter. "When?"
Hermione sighed, giving up. She'd been wanting to tell someone ever since it happened, and while Ron wasn't her first choice - or second or third even - as she'd already revealed that there'd been something there, she might as well tell him the whole story. "It wasn't really a relationship," she started. "I haven't actually told anyone-"
"I can't imagine why," Ron snarked, and Hermione gave him a look that clearly told him to shut up.
"As I said, I haven't told anyone, but in sixth year, he and I..." she trailed off.
"Shagged?"
Hermione blushed. "No!" she replied, before quietly adding, "It never got that far."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but continue."
"I was upset about you and Lavender," Ron had the grace to blush and shuffle his feet at Hermione's look, "and one night as I was in the library, avoiding you, I saw Draco. I decided to follow him, thinking I might as well do something useful."
"Why didn't you tell Harry? Or me?"
"I didn't want to speak to you, and Harry had enough. I figured I'd tell him if I actually found something." She shrugged.
"So then what happened?"
"He caught me, we argued for a while, he kissed me and I just... kissed back." Hermione blushed at the memory of their first, awkward kiss. "Then we avoided each other for a while, until one night when we ran into each other and he kissed me again."
"Malfoy kissed you?" Ron sounded doubtful.
"I'm very kissable I have you know," Hermione replied. "Just because you never realised it before it was too late, doesn't mean that others missed it too."
"I know." He sighed. "And then?"
"I thought that I might be able to get some information out of him somehow, and I didn't really care how."
"And you thought you might be able to what? Steal it from his mouth as you snogged him?"
"Ron, don't be like that."
"You were kissing the enemy! How do you think I'd react? Are you snogging him now too? Oh Merlin, no wonder you insist on sleeping in the same room as he." Ron started to pace in anger as his voice rose in volume. "He almost killed me. He's the reason Dumbledore is dead, and why Bill is a bleeding werewolf!"
Hermione shook her head. "Good night Ron," she said before she turned and hurried inside, closing the door before Ron had a chance to say something else he would hopefully regret in the morning.
Hermione walked through the quiet cabin towards the bathroom. She stopped briefly to place another blanket on top of the sleeping Harry and kiss his forehead lightly before she stepped into the bathroom to change.
Once she was dressed in proper pyjamas and her teeth were clean, she went into the bedroom. She sat down on her cot, and looked at Draco. He was sleeping on his side, his face turned towards her and she smiled slightly at how innocent he looked. It'd been a long day for him as well, from waking up to find Harry and Ron there, telling them what'd happened to him and going outside for the first time in a long while. He'd crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow, for which Hermione was grateful.
She knew that if he'd still been awake, he might've heard what Ron had said, or at the very least ask her what was wrong when she came inside.
Hermione leaned forward and kissed his forehead, pressing her lips against his skin longer than she'd done with Harry. She pulled away, and placed a hand on his cheek for a few moments before she sighed and laid down under the covers of her own bed.
She didn't want to think about Ron and what'd he'd said. Part of her knew he was just looking out for her, but another part knew that when it came to Draco, he simply couldn't see straight. Ever since their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express, anything Draco did simply rubbed Ron the wrong way and Hermione was beginning to think it was more than simple hatred of someone mean, prejudiced and not afraid to show it.
She thought he was jealous.
~*~
"All right, so the problem now is what we should do with Draco," Harry said, looking at Hermione and Ron sitting across from him at the small table. The way they ignored each other while trying not to be obvious about it reminded him of Hogwarts.
"I'm sitting right here you know," Draco said, looking put out at being talked about as if he wasn't in the room. He sat on the short end, next to Hermione.
Harry ignored him. "I think we should try to get him out of the country while Remus work on capturing Snape and clearing Draco's name."
"That'll take years," Ron grumbled.
Harry ignored him as well, choosing instead to focus on Hermione as he spoke. "Remus said he might not be able to do much for Draco while the War is still under way, but that it might be harder after its over."
"Maybe we can take him to the headquarters?" Hermione suggested. "He might be able to help... that way, we'd be able to protect him and it might help us clear his name easier. If he left the country, it'd look too much like he's running away."
"Which he did," Ron added, glaring at Draco.
Draco glared right back. "Like you wouldn't."
"I would never put myself in a position where I would have to run away," Ron replied, his ears turning pink.
Draco snorted. "That's not what I've heard."
Ron's eyes widened and he turned his glare on Hermione.
"That's enough!" Hermione said, interrupting whatever Ron had been about to say. "We're all tense and worried, but fighting each other isn't going to make things better."
"You know what'd make me feel better?" Ron asked. "Having friends who won't sell me out to the nearest ferret they can find."
Hermione sighed, looking at Harry for help. Draco simply glared at him, but didn't say a word.
"Ron," Harry said.
"You're taking their side now?"
"There are no sides," Harry insisted. "Except for us against the bad guys."
"He is a bad guy!"
"Ron, sit down," Hermione said tiredly.
"Oh I'm sorry, did I offend your boyfriend?" he asked, sounding anything but sorry.
Draco raised an eyebrow, shooting Hermione an amused look. Harry simply sighed, shaking his head.
"He's not my boyfriend. Now please sit down and act your age."
Ron sat down in a huff, crossing his arms against his chest in protest.
Hermione sighed before turning towards Harry. "Headquarters?"
"Its our best choice. I'll owl Remus as soon as Hedwig gets back and have him prepare it. I think it would be best if we left as soon as possible. As secluded as this cabin is, there are only so many wards protecting it and if a Death Eater, or the Ministry, found this place, they won't provide enough protection."
"Do you think its a good idea? Putting me in a house full of Order members?" Draco asked, looking worried. "I don't want to get better only to end up dead somewhere else by someone else's hand."
"I won't let that happen," Hermione assured him, placing one of her hands on his.
Ron snorted at the gesture, turning his head to look in the other direction.
"We'll explain everything before you get there. Don't worry. We're all aware of how easy it is to make a wrong call about someone."
"Snape?" Draco asked, turning his hand over so that his palm touched Hermione's.
"Snape," Harry agreed. "And Pettigrew, and Sirius..."
They were all quiet for a few moments, not really knowing what to say in response. There was a tapping on the window and they all turned towards it, expecting Hedwig to have returned from her food hunt. Instead, they found a non descriptive brown owl sitting on the window ledge, a roll of parchment tied to her leg.
Harry, who was closest, opened the window to let the owl in. Instead of entering the cabin, the owl simply looked at Harry, seemingly impatient for him to take the parchment. He did so, and as soon as it was off, the owl flew away in a hurry.
"What is it?" Ron asked as Harry closed the window again, frowning.
Harry opened the seal, and immediately recognised Remus' handwriting. "Its from Remus," he said, scanning the short letter. "Snape went back to the cabin. The Ministry have him in custody."
"That's great news," Hermione said, smiling. Her smile dimmed when she noticed Harry's frown. "Isn't it?"
"I'm not sure."
"What'd you mean you're not sure?" Ron asked, forgetting he was angry at everyone for a moment. "What does it say?"
"That's the thing. It doesn't say anything else." Harry showed them the letter.
"He might not have had more time to write it," Draco suggested.
"Maybe. It just strikes me as odd."
"I'm sure its nothing to worry about," Hermione said, though she too felt her worry grow. She squeezed Draco's hand without thought, as if he was slipping away and only their clasped hands could keep him by her side.
"You think its a set up?" Ron asked.
"It could be," Harry agreed, looking closer at the parchment.
"Aren't you all just a tad too paranoid?" Draco asked. "Its just a short letter. Lupin is a busy man. He's probably questioning Snape as we speak, and just wanted to give you the heads up. Nothing to write home about."
"We haven't survived this long by being reckless," Harry replied.
Hermione coughed to hide her snort and Ron raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Anyhow, if this is true, it means we can bring Draco back to the headquarters sooner than we thought," Harry continued, ignoring his two best friends.
"How soon?" Draco asked.
"A couple of days, a week at the most. Ron, Hermione and I need to get back out looking for the last Horcrux."
"Horcrux?" Draco asked. "What is that? I've heard it before."
The trio looked at him as one.
"Who told you?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"Snape. He was muttering about Dumbledore and Hogwarts and something about a Horcrux being in Hogwarts. He didn't know I'd woken up."
"In Hogwarts?" Hermione asked, horrified.
"Something about it being the perfect place. Visible, and under Dumbledore's nose. Something obvious yet unsuspecting."
"Obvious and unsuspecting? What in Hogwarts has been there for years, is obvious and unsuspecting, while at the same time under Dumbledore's nose?" Ron asked.
"One of his old school books perhaps?" Hermione suggested.
"I don't think he'd create two Horcruxes out of books," Harry said.
"Someone has got to tell me what a Horcrux is," Draco said, looking between the trio.
"Its an object in which a person has concealed a part of his or hers soul in," Hermione explained. "Voldemort has created several Horcruxes, because as long as the Horcrux is kept safe and whole, he will continue to exists even if his body is damaged or destroyed."
"So that's how he was able to come back?" Draco asked. "Because of his Horcruxes?"
"Yes," Harry said, nodding. "We've so far destroyed all but one Horcrux. Unless he's got more than we know about, but that seems unlikely. Once we've destroyed the last one, we should be able to kill him."
"We've searched through the Muggle orphanage where he lived as a child, the Chamber of Secrets and, of course, the Riddle house. We even searched through the place where his parents lived during their short time together, and various other places where his mother lived before she died," Ron said. "Are you sure Snape said it was at Hogwarts?"
"I'm pretty certain, as he went on to talk about how it had been under Dumbledore's nose the whole time..." Draco trailed off.
"Then it is likely that it is somewhere at Hogwarts," Harry finished, and Draco nodded.
"So we're going back to Hogwarts then?" Ron asked, turning to Harry.
"We should probably wait a few days, until the students have gone home for the holidays," Hermione suggested. "In the mean time, we should think of something that would mean enough for Voldemort to make a Horcrux out of it so that we don't have to resort to searching the entire castle. Also, when do you think he could've done it?"
"Most likely it was when he went back to Hogwarts to ask for the DADA position," Harry answered.
"So chances are, whatever the Horcrux is, it is not hidden away, as then Dumbledore would've known Voldemort stayed much longer than to simply ask for the position and maybe walk around the school," Hermione said, thinking.
"So its something visible, under Dumbledore's nose, that he could find easily and that no one would wonder why he was looking at it, or even holding it?" Ron asked. "We're never going to... Wait a minute. Wait just a minute now. The award!"
"The award?" Harry asked.
"His Special Award for Services to the School award. It's in the Trophy Room. I can't believe I didn't think about it sooner, I cleaned it enough times thanks to those blasted slugs."
"It has his name on it, so its visible," Harry said, nodding. "But no one would suspect it."
"It really was under Dumbledore's nose the entire time," Hermione continued.
"And he got it after Myrtle died, and that must've been significant to him. She was the first person he killed!" Ron finished excitedly. "Or, his Basilisk did it, but it was him all the same. I think we got it."
Hermione nodded. "I think so too. I hope so. Thank you Draco." She turned and smiled at him.
"Yes, thank you," Harry said.
"I'm just glad I could help," Draco replied.
Harry coughed and glared at Ron, who sighed exasperatedly before he too thanked Draco.
Draco gave him a short nod in reply. "So what happens now?" he asked Harry, while his thumb slowly caressed the soft skin on Hermione's hand.
~*~
“Lets go,” Harry said.
Hermione looked up from her tea, leaning forward slightly so he wouldn't notice the way she'd been leaning into Draco as she sat next to him, but like Ron, Harry either didn't notice, or didn't care about it.
“What? Now?” Ron asked from the other side of the table, looking up from the chess board. He and Draco had been playing for almost an hour, and while he would never admit it, it was the most fun he'd had in too long.
“Just got another owl from Remus,” Harry said, showing the parchment to him. “And McGonagall assured me that the students would've left by now, so it should be safe.”
“We're travelling with Portkey? Isn't that risky?” Ron asked once he'd read the letter. “I thought we were going to use a car to get to Hogwarts.”
“It would take too long,” Harry replied. “I want to get there and finish this now.”
Hermione sighed. “Where's the Portkey?”
“In the village. We have to be there in forty minutes, so you better get packing because we won't be coming back here unless we really have to.”
Less than thirty minutes later, the four left the cabin. Harry and Ron took the lead, carrying most of the packing. Hermione and Draco walked a few steps behind them, holding hands. Draco walked with a slight limp thanks to a particularly nasty gash in his right leg that refused to heal completely, something Hermione hoped Madam Pomfrey would be able to help him with once they arrived at Hogwarts.
Moments before they left the cabin the snow had started to fall again, and by the time they exited the forest and started to walk towards the small village just down the road, they were covered in it. It made Hermione smile, for reasons she herself didn't know.
Draco pulled her hand to his lips and turned it over, pressing a chaste kiss to her palm. His eyes sparkled, and before she could stop and think, she stopped. Draco halted in his tracks as well, looking down questioningly at her.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
Hermione shook her head, taking a step closer. She smiled up at him, the hand not holding his coming up to rest at his side as she stepped up on her toes. Their faces were mere breaths away from each others, and Draco wasted no time in closing the space between them, brushing his lips against Hermione's. It was nothing more than a fleeting touch, but Hermione felt it all over. She gasped as Draco pressed his lips harder against hers, taking advantage of her slightly open mouth to slide his tongue into it.
Hermione eagerly responded, sliding her tongue against his, her hand grasping the fabric of his new coat. Draco's arms went around her, one hand sliding into her hair and holding her head close to his.
“Oi! You two can do that later,” Ron called, annoyed.
Hermione and Draco immediately broke away, and Hermione turned to find Harry and Ron standing several feet away, looking expectantly at them. Hermione blushed, glancing up at Draco.
“We don't have all day,” Ron reminded them, before turning on his heel and continuing his walk towards the village.
“He's right,” Hermione said, sighing. She too resumed walking, and Draco was quick to catch up with her, taking her hand in his again.
Hermione smiled down at their clasped hands before looking up at him. “I have a very good feeling about this,” she said, squeezing his hand lightly. She didn't say whether she meant the Horcrux, the War or the two of them.
She didn't have to.
“Me too,” Draco replied. “Me too.”
The End.
Ron was behaving childish and juvenile quite a lot, I'm aware. However, they are 17/18, so I hope it wasn't too OOC from how he might behave. Also, I know that the request said 'Draco tied up somehow', and I had him chained up instead. Sorry about that, and I hope its all right. I thought about having him being tied up during sex - hehe - but then I realised I'd have to write smut - or at least hint to it, as you only wanted up to R - so that idea was trashed. :P
Request:
Name/Pen Name: Kirsty
LJ Username: thrifts
E-mail: aneonshine@aol.com
Rating(s) you’re willing to write: any
Rating(s) of the fic you want: anything up to R
Three things you want your fic to include: 1. for it to take place
during their 7th year. Either at school or on the run, I don't mind.
2. Draco tied up somehow. 3. a happy ending.
Three things you do not want your fic to include: 1. anything in
canon being ignored. 2. rape. 3. Being overly open about their
relationship, the fewer people who know about it the better.
Anything specific that you do not want to write: nope
Thank-you for Celebrating the Season with Draco and Hermione!