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Repeat After Me	By : Luckycharms Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 8880 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That right goes to the AMAZING JK Rowling. No profit is made off this story. Shout out to Scorpia11 for being my awesome Beta!!

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
AN: Thank you guys so much for all your reviews! Truly, I am beyond excited that so many of you love this story! Now, this chapter is slightly longer and is set up a little differently than the rest, but you’ll see soon enough as to why. It’s sort of a sneak peek I guess, as to how the time-travel story will be laid out…through multiple perspectives. The release date for that story will be Sunday, September 1^st, 2019 and every chapter, like this one, will be posted once a week on Sundays! Now, without further ado…Chapter 10!
Chapter 10- Expect the Unexpected
Friday October 29^th, 1999 07:22am
Excruciating pain engulfed Draco as he awoke in his bed. His body went ridged as every bone in his body felt like it had broken a thousand times over. He couldn’t scream, couldn’t cry…he couldn’t even think, as nothing but agonizing pain washed over him. His body suddenly began to convulse from the trauma he had sustained, causing the bed to shake violently and the headboard to ram repeatedly against the wall.
Theo could hear the pounding from the other side of the door but he had no idea what was really happening. He banged on the barrier blocking him from getting to his friend and tried spell after spell to open the entryway…but nothing would work. It wasn’t until Hermione heard the loud knocking and pleas coming from the brunette Slytherin that she opened her door to see what was going on.
Theo never once glanced at the Gryffindor as he continued to bang hard on Draco’s door causing panic to settle inside Hermione’s stomach. She rushed over to the wooden barrier and pulled out her wand, unlocking the door before bursting into the room to find Draco on the floor having a seizure.
“Oh my God!” she cried as she rushed to the blonde and quickly summoned a pillow off the bed to place under his head, before turning him on his side. “RUN AND GRAB MADAM POMFREY, THEO! NOW!” she screamed in fear as she gently held Draco on his side to clear his airway.
The minutes passed by like hours before the Matron of the school ran into the room but froze in shock in the doorway. It had been years since she had witnessed any students have a seizure and it had been decades since she had seen one so bad.
Removing the dazed confusion from her mind, she rushed into the room and quickly pulled out her wand. Preforming a diagnostic spell as fast as she could, she and Hermione stared at the holographic image of Draco’s body hovering above him in dismay. Every single bone in his body was broken in more than one place and a few were even shattered to pieces. He had multiple traumas throughout his organs causing internal bleeding; surprising the nurse and the Gryffindor even more when they saw that he had after effects of being struck by lightning as well. He shouldn’t have even been conscious…let alone still alive.
Immense panic flooded the room, including the eighth-years lingering worryingly in the doorway. Pomfrey began preforming every healing spell she could think of until Draco’s body stopped spasming and he began to drool heavily onto the pillow. While his breathing regulated, and his color and pupils returned to normal, Draco’s sight blurred until he could no longer remain conscious and blacked out.
Hermione turned Draco on his back and rested his head in her lap as tears began to trickle down her cheek. She pushed his damp hair out of his face as Madam Pomfrey continued to perform multiple spells to heal the internal bleeding that normally would have killed a person instantly.
“How did this happen?” Pomfrey demanded as she finished one last spell and reached for her bag to grab the vile of salamander blood to help heal Draco’s brain from any damage caused after convulsing for such a long period of time. She also began to pull out Skelegrow and various pain potions needed to speed up the healing process. “What happened here!” she yelled when no one answered her right away.
“I-I don’t know” Theo spoke up due to Hermione being unable to say anything as she cried harder and held on to Draco as if he were already dead. “I-I heard an unusual pounding and when he didn’t answer…I-I panicked and tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Granger came out and opened it and-and we found him…like-like this” he explained while the nurse opened Draco’s mouth and poured in the potions before gently rubbing his throat to help him swallow.
“Is he going to be okay?” Hermione asked as she glanced up to the Matron with glossy pleading eyes. “Please, tell me he’s going to be alright?”
“I don’t know dear” the nurse answered apologetically. “It’s too soon to tell. He will need plenty of rest and we’ll know more when he wakes up. Until then, I need everyone to go down stairs and wait in the common room while I go talk to the Headmistress. Mr. Nott, I will need you to accompany me and…Mr. Potter, can you please stay with Ms. Granger to keep an eye on Mr. Malfoy?”
“Yeah-yeah, no problem” the dark-haired wizard answered as he stared fearfully at Draco still on the floor of his bedroom.
“Thank you. If he seizes up again you call for a house elf; do you understand me? Do not hesitate and do not leave his side!”
“Yes ma’am” Harry quickly replied as he knelt down, reached over Draco, and cupped Hermione’s cheek in the palm of his hand. “It’s going to be okay, Mione. We’ll take care of him, alright? Let’s get him into bed and comfortable, what do you say?”
Hermione nodded her head as Madam Pomfreys’ gaze fell before ushering everyone out of the room. Harry brought out his wand and slowly levitated the blonde Slytherin off the floor and placed him gently on the bed. He then helped Hermione stand up and brought her a chair so she could sit next Draco before temporarily leaving the room to fetch her a glass of water.
“He’s gonna be alright, Mione” he stated softly as he handed her the glass, but she refused to take it as she watched over Draco like he was Sleeping Beauty waiting for someone to wake him.
“I…I-I don’t understand how this happened…” she claimed in a voice so low it was almost a whisper “he was f-fine yesterday; healthy even” she turned her face to Harry in distress. “Who would do this to him? Who would b-break every b-bone in his body?”
“I don’t know Mione…but we’ll figure it out. I promise.”
Over the next two hours, Hermione sat vigil by Draco’s side as he slept through the hustle and bustle of the day. Professor McGonagall stopped by to check on him as he went in and out of consciousness and spoke to the Gryffindor to gather her version of what had occurred. The Headmistress excused Hermione from attending class for the day and told her that she was more than welcome to make up the exam when she felt more up to it, which the bookworm readily agreed.
When Draco was fully asleep, Hermione took the opportunity to hold his left hand; afraid he would turn her away otherwise. What she didn’t know however, was during the times she held on to him he wasn’t entirely out of it and found peaceful solace from her touch. He couldn’t speak or open his eyes yet, but he knew it was her, and he wanted so desperately to tell her he would be okay.
Another hour passed before he stirred and groggily opened his eyes. Unfortunately, due to the pain radiating through his body he was unable to move, but he could hear everything happening around him. Realizing people generally thought he was sleeping, he took advantage of his predicament and listened carefully to the various discussions happening between his friends and around them.
Blaise had visited him early on in the day, but stood against the far wall with his arms crossed as he spoke indirectly to Hermione, all while watching the Slytherin Prince closely. Draco pretended to sleep as he learned just how much his friend actually cared for him.
The blonde prince listened as Blaise made small talk, asking 'How he was doing?', 'Were there any changes?' and 'Do you need anything?' before he sighed deeply and began thinking aloud.
“Whoever did this to him is a coward;” the wizard stated firmly as he stared at Draco wistfully “a coward…with absolutely nothing to live for.”
‘I did this to myself, Blaise…’
“We’ll find the bastard that did this, Zabini…I will make sure of it” Hermione replied angrily, but Blaise wasn’t listening.
“You have to make it through this, Draco” the wizard continued as the lines in his forehead creased with sorrow. “You have to…I don’t have anyone else that I want as a best-man for when I ask Pansy to marry me after graduation. You promised me you would be there…you promised…”
‘I’ll keep that promise, mate…I won’t let you down’
Hermione turned her head and looked at Blaise dejectedly before quickly standing up to comfort the Slytherin whose eyes were beginning to water.
“Who does something like this?” he questioned while holding up a hand slightly as he tried not cry for his friend. “Who b-breaks ev…every bone in a person’s body?” his voice cracked and within moments of her touching his shoulder, the tall wizard broke into full tears, shattering Hermione’s heart to pieces. Slowly pulling him into a hug, the pair fell to the ground in anguish while trying to sooth the wretched heartache they both were experiencing.
Draco tried everything he could to get his body to move but his mind refused to send the signals needed to even lift a finger to show his friends that he’s okay. Instead his body just laid there like it was a paralyzed vegetable…unable to procure any type of motion or a single sound. He had no choice but to listen as the girl he loves and one of his best friends fell apart on his bedroom floor.
After thirty minutes of the pain staking torture, Theo knocked on the door causing Blaise to wipe his nose with his sleeve before standing up and open the entryway. He pushed passed Theo who moved out of the way before Hermione retook her seat next to Draco. The brunette Slytherin watched Blaise quickly run to his dorm across the hall before walking into the room and softly closing the door.
“Any change?” he asked Hermione, who shook her head ‘no’ as she reached out and touched Draco’s arm.
Theo conjured a second chair and took a seat on the opposite side of the bed across from Hermione. Sighing deeply, the Slytherin looked to Draco lying peacefully on the bed, still in his pajamas as he thought about everything he and his best friend had been through since they were five years old.
“Did you know that I have known Draco since we were small?” he asked Hermione without looking up from his friend.
“I didn’t…No” she answered softly as her gaze rose to the Theo. “H-how did you meet?”
‘Playdate’
“On a playdate” he answered as he leaned forward and rested his arms on the green sheets of the bed. “His mother brought him over to my house while she and my mother had tea. They met in a store in Diagon Alley and hit it off fairly well…so they decided to get together for tea and ever since then…Draco and I have become like brothers.”
“That sounds really nice, Nott.”
“Yeah…Except…I was always envious of him.”
‘What? Why?’
“Envious? Why would you be jealous of Draco? His father was a mad man who made him feel small” Hermione questioned with a raised brow.
‘She’s right’
“His father was a muggle angel compared to mine” Theo admitted as he sat back in his chair. “My father used to beat me…all the time. I hated him. But Draco, he was always there for me. He also always got the girls to swoon over him and he had all this money with no one to spend it on.
‘Other than you’
“Well other than me” he sighed sadly. “He would always cheer me up by buying me the latest things and…and I never got to repay him.”
‘You didn’t have to repay me, Theo’
“I-I don’t think he did it so you could repay him, Nott” Hermione said gently as she turned her eyes to the blonde Slytherin. “You’re his friend-his best friend. I think he did it because he wanted to make you happy.”
‘What she said’
“If he wants to make me happy then he needs to wake up and tell me who did this to him so I can beat the ever-loving snot out of the coward!” he snapped, causing Hermione to glance at him in concern. “He may have been an arrogant bully to everyone growing up, but he doesn’t deserve this! No one deserves this kind of torture!”
‘This was all me, Theo. I’m the coward’
“He’ll wake up, Nott. I know he will.”
“And what if he doesn’t?” he asked angrily. “What if he never wakes up and I…”
“Have to go through life without him?” Hermione finished as her heart once again shattered into a million pieces. ‘You’ll never be without me, mate’ “Nott, I-”
“We’re friends…right, Granger?” Theo quickly cut in as he looked to her with glistening eyes. “I mean sort of friends since you helped me study for my Charms exam?”
“We’re friends…Why are-”
“So then why are we still calling each other by our last names? Why are we acting like being friends is a bad thing?” he stated firmly, shocking the Gryffindor slightly. “It’s obvious to the whole school how you feel about Draco, which means that if he ever finally admits he likes you too and stops being such a prat about it, then we are going to become closer. So, why are we pretending that we can’t get along?”
‘I did tell her I like her…’
“I-”
“Why does it take having my best friend in a coma or whatever, to admit we have all changed and can see passed the bullshite crap we did when we were younger? I mean, for Merlin’s sake, he had a bloody seizure! Every damn bone in his body was broken! Why can’t we all just figure out our shite and move on? Why did it have to come…to this? I never even got to tell him all my secrets because I was too damn scared to say anything. Just like he is too damn scared to admit he may like you and now look at him…he can’t…!” Theo trailed off as he sniffled and tried to hold back his anger.
‘Oh, Theo, I’ll be okay. I’ll get through this’
“Nott, I-”
“THEO!” he shouted, making Hermione shudder at the outburst as a tear fell from his brown eyes while Draco felt nothing but sorrow for the only person he could call a brother. “My name…is Theo…”
“Okay…Alright…” the curly-haired brunette answered sincerely as she stood up and walked around the bottom of the bed frame. She gently took a seat on the edge of the bed facing the Slytherin and held out her right hand. “Theo…I’m Hermione Granger…but you can call me Hermione” she smiled warmly as Theo looked from her hand up to her face in surprise. Hermione nodded her head slightly as he produced a small grin and reached out to shake her hand. “Now we are officially friends” she continued when the pair let go of each other “so, that means we can tell each other anything.”
“N-no judgment?” he asked softly.
‘She won’t judge you, mate’
“No judgement…and I promise not to say anything to anyone. I am also pretty positive that Malf-Draco, won’t either.”
“I doubt he can even hear us anyway…”
“That’s probably true, but even if he could I’m sure he wouldn’t judge you either.”
‘Never!’
“You don’t understand, Hermione…I have been keeping this secret from him since we were thirteen. I-”
‘Thirteen? So, this isn’t about Brown?’
“Then just tell him now” the bookworm said as gently as she could. “Even if he can’t hear you, at least you’ll get it off your chest. It will help you feel better…I know it will.” Theo looked at Hermione with worry before turning his gaze to Draco. “I’ll give you some time, okay. I’ll be right over there if you need me.”
‘Merlin, I love her and her kindness. He needs someone to help him with this and I couldn’t think of better person I would rather have to protect him.’
Theo nodded his head as Hermione stood up and walked over to the south-east corner of the bedroom. She folded her hands in front of her as Theo sighed heavily and leaned his arms back on the bed.
“Draco…I-I” he quickly turned to Hermione who half-smiled and bowed her head slightly to give him some encouragement before he rotated back to Draco. “I…Gods this is hard…I don’t exactly know how to say this. I don’t even know if you can even her me…”
‘I can hear you, Theo’
“But I guess this is better than nothing” the Slytherin continued. “Do-do you remember the day you caught me glancing at your dick in the urinals third year?” he asked making Hermione snap her head up and furrow her brows in puzzlement.
‘Of course, I remember! It was extremely awkward’
“You were so embarrassed, so I told you it was to see if you were bigger than me…still mad that you were by the way, but congrats Hermione” he turned his head to wink at the brunette causing her to snort as she tried to hold back a laugh. “Anyway, after seeing your reaction, I sort of…coward. I should have just said something then, but…I-I was scared.
‘Scared? You know you can tell me anything, Theo, and I mean anything. I would never judge you or-or abandon you.’
“I was terrified you would look at me differently or-or not be my friend anymore. I hid behind dirty jokes and inappropriate comments, but really…I was confused. I’m still confused, actually.
‘Confused?’
“Now, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t looking because I like you or anything. I mean I love you to death but not like that. I was only next to you in the bathroom because we were young and I was still being picked on. You were like a safety net for me and I was scared to leave your side. I guess I could have moved down a urinal but again, I was young. Anyway, I was looking because I was curious…I guess. The thing is…I like everyone.”
‘You definitely could have moved down a urinal…but I get what you mean. And you always were nice to anyone unless they were horrible to me, so I don’t understand wha-wait…’
“I like girls, yes, but…I-I can’t do this!”
‘Yes, you can, mate…Don’t you remember…Be afraid…and then do it anyway’
“You can, Theo…” Hermione supported from the corner of the room. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you, you can’t. Not even yourself.”
Theo sucked in a deep breath before slowly letting it out and bit his bottom lip nervously.
“I-I like guys…as well as girls.”
‘I’m glad you can tell me…but I already knew you were bi. I’m your best friend, your brother; you can’t really hide something like that from me…Just like I couldn’t hide liking Hermione from you.’
“I’m just so afraid you’ll ha…hate me for it” Theo stated as his voice shook and tears began to stream down his cheeks. “I don’t want to lose you in my life because I can’t control who I fancy.”
‘Theo, come one mate; you may be a huge thorn in my side most days, but I could never hate you. I love you. I will always love you.’
“Theo…” Hermione began delicately as she stepped forward and placed her hands on his shoulders “it’ll be okay” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around the Slytherins’ head and let him cry into her stomach.
Hermione held on to the boy for the next twenty minutes as he cried his heart and soul out and the Slytherin Prince…could do nothing to comfort him. It was the worst feeling in the world for Draco; to know that his friend was hurting and he couldn’t protect him, couldn’t shield that heartache like he had done so many countless times before. All he wanted to do was jump up off the bed, hold Theo in his arms, and tell him that he accepted him…that he would always accept him, like he has since the day they met.
But unfortunately, the universe gave Draco the middle finger and refused to let him move. It was like he was physically in the room but his mind was standing outside watching his friends fall apart for something he did to himself. He had one maybe two more repeat days’ tops, and he still had no idea how he was going to fix everything. It was like the world cursed him into an endless pit of despair just to show him what he was missing in life, before permanently killing him off, and laughing in his face. Like this day was just to give him a glimpse of who actually cared for him and who didn’t.
As thought after thought bombard the blondes mind, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep without even realizing it. He was awoken a few hours later by soft whispers he couldn’t identify and tried his hardest to listen to what they were saying. He knew Hermione was no longer in the room mainly due to the fact that he had somehow grown accustom to her presence near him. Her scent was also fading and he could no longer smell the gentle rose perfume he had smelled on her the first day he had kissed her.
He had wondered where she went but figured Harry or Ron had pressed her hard enough that she was forced to exit the room to freshen up and eat something. Which he was happy about, he just wished she would come back soon.
“His mother has been floo’d, correct? She’s on her way?” one of the voices asked softly, and although Draco could tell it was an elderly man, he was still having a hard time putting the voice to a face.
“Yes” the voice of Professor McGonagall answered. “She was vacationing with Andromeda Tonks in the States and has to get an emergent Portkey to return. It’ll be a few hours until she arrives, if not by tomorrow.”
“Oh, Andromeda you say?” the man asked pleasantly giving Draco enough information to know the elderly man was Professor Slughorn. “Wasn’t she burned off the Black family tree?”
“She was, but after the war Narcissa reconnected with her…You canceled the exam for the day, yes?”
“Ah, indeed” Slughorn answered most delicately. “None of the students except a few, seemed well enough to participate. I know Mr. Malfoy was not the most liked student, but his predicament has cast a fear in many students that ex-Death Eaters are to blame. I’ve even seen some crying over him and Ms. Granger…the poor girl, hasn’t left his room since she found him. If it wasn’t for Ms. Parkinson, she would most likely still be in here instead of downstairs finally eating something” he stated with a shake of his head.
‘Pansy got her to eat? I really need to give that girl more credit. I didn’t know she cared that much.’
“I still don’t understand how this happened” McGonagall questioned aloud. “There wasn’t a single lingering curse or spell used on the boy. How did he have so much damage done to him?”
Slughorn opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by a soft knock at the door before it gently cracked open.
“Mr. Longbottom” the Headmistress said in surprise. “Why are you not downstairs with the rest of your classmates?”
“Oh uh, Madam Pomfrey said it was time to give Malfoy another round of potions” he answered gently. “I volunteered because I was tired of hearing Sadie, Terry, and Lavender laugh about his misfortune. I can come back in a few minutes though…if you need some more time.”
‘They are laughing at me? Who the hell laughs at something like this? I wouldn’t even do that to someone when I was still a bully!’
“No, no” McGonagall stated with a wave of her hand. “Please, come in.”
Neville nodded his head as he fully walked into the room and shut the door behind him. He ambled over to the nightstand to the left of Draco and began measuring out the correct dosage needed of Skelegrow and the four pain potions he was told to provide the Slytherin. As he turned to look at Draco, he began to pour the elixirs into his mouth before he reached out and touched the Slytherin’s’ throat to help him swallow. As soon as his fingers stopped however, a sudden flash of a memory he couldn’t recall experiencing, raced to the forefront of his mind, causing his breath to grow heavy and his eyes to stare unseeingly frozen in shock.
“Mr. Longbottom? Is everything alright?” Slughorn asked as he tilted his body to get a better view of the Gryffindor.
‘You know; don’t you?’
“He’s supposed to help me…” the boy whispered before turning around and stared wide eyed at both Professors. “I don’t think someone did this to him…I-I think he did this to himself…He’s-he’s stuck!”
‘Fucking Longbottom! I would kiss you right now if I could fucking move!’
“I beg your pardon?” McGonagall inquired. “What do you mean…he did this to himself or that he’s stuck? No one can break every single bone in their body…unless…”
Neville looked to the Headmistress before glancing to Professor Slughorn; wondering whether or not it was okay to reveal certain information in front of him.
‘Just tell them. Tell them so I can go back to sleep…I’m so tired.’
“I, uh…Well…” he began nervously. “It wasn’t attempted suicide; at least not the kind you’re thinking of. Um…Do-do you remember that situation I had last year?”
“What situation? I’m not foll-Oh, Great Legendary Merlin! You don’t mean…” The Gryffindor nodded his head as Professor McGonagall gasped in shock and clutched a hand against her chest. “You’re certain? H-How many days?”
‘Fourteen…Wait…You mean to tell me that I don’t have to re-help Longbottom? But Potter never remembered…’
“I-I’m not exactly sure…I only saw a flash of a conversation I know I never had with him” Neville answered with a sorrowful frown. “But from his condition, Professor…I don’t think he has long. However, if his body is this badly damaged from a uh…a previous death…the ehm, the predicament he’s in…will give him a push to aid him slightly.”
‘Hold on, he didn’t touch me! Longbottom did! Is that all it takes? I just get him to touch me and I don’t have to go through explaining shite again and again? Huh…well that’s easy enough. And what does he mean aid me?’
“My Gods” McGonagall exclaimed in shock while Professor Slughorn looked on in complete confusion. “This gets out to no one; am I understood? We cannot have students in a panic or creating unreal hypothetical versions of what happened.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite fully understand” Slughorn interjected with a raised finger. “What exactly has happened to Mr. Malfoy?”
‘Can you lot go to another room to discuss this? I’m going back to sleep now and would rather you not wake me up again.’
“You won’t remember if I told you, Horace; best to just leave it at that. There isn’t anything we can do for him but heal his body of the trauma he’s sustained and pray to Merlin he can make it out of this mess…alive.”
06:15pm
“Mione, you can’t stay in this room forever!” Ron yelled in frustration, waking Draco from his slumber. “I don’t understand why you even want to stay in here anyway! He means nothing to us, so why are you wasting your time?”
‘Ugh, leave her alone, Weasley. Merlin you’re so fucking loud! Why are you so loud? And what the hell are you even doing in my room?’
“Lay off, Ron” Harry stated as he stood in front of Draco’s dresser with his arms crossed while shaking his head. “If she wants to be here for Malfoy then let her. It’s not like her staying by his side is hurting anyone and he may be a git at times, but he could use at least one person to care for him. No one else has really visited except his friends.”
‘Hm, maybe Potter isn’t such an insufferable prat as I thought…One point for Potter’
“The reason no one is here, is because no one likes him!” Ron retorted as Hermione lowered her forehead into her propped-up hand on the Slytherin’s bed. “He has put her through hell, why would she give a damn about Malfoy?”
“I…” Hermione finally said with a scoff “am right here! Stop talking about me like I can’t hear you!” she claimed while standing up from her chair and turning to face the red-head giving her a hard time. “Godric, Ron, just leave me alone! You’re acting worse than Lavender right now!”
“Lavender? You’re comparing me to Lavender?” Ron stated as his face turned red. “She may be my girlfriend, Mione, but don’t ever assume that I am anything like her!”
“I’m not assuming a single thing, Ronald! I am stating facts! You have been acting more and more like her every day! She’s a bad influence on you!”
“You’re just jealous because she and I have something real and you have what…Malfoy? A guy who would probably hex you on the spot if he knew you were even in here!”
‘I would never!’
“You don’t know anything about him!” Hermione rebutted in anger as she walked up to the red-head and pressed a finger into his chest.
“I know he doesn’t like you!” Ron claimed while throwing his hands in the air. “What, you think I didn’t know about your delusional crush? Everyone in the damn school knows, just like they all know that he will never reciprocate anything for you!”
‘Liar!’
“Ron, mate…Come on” Harry intervened in disappointment as Hermione’s eyes began to water. “That’s low.”
‘Listen to your friend, weasel! I swear…’
“But it’s true!” Ron replied callously before turning his attention back to Hermione. “All he does is push you away and I bet he laughs to himself every time he recalls the memory of you being tortured in his manor; just like everyone who hates his guts, is laughing at him right now!”
‘Whoa! Too far!’
“RON!” Harry shouted in annoyance as he stood up straight and pushed his way in between his friends. “That’s enough! No one downstairs hates him or is laughing at his situation! Stop trying to make something out of nothing! We get it, you hate the guy and you’re still pissed Hermione broke up with you, but she had her reasons so deal with it! There is absolutely no excuse for you to hurt her feelings just because you’re still bitter!”
‘Another point for Potter, he’s on a roll today!’
“Bitter?” Ron scoffed as he flicked his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “Apparently, you haven’t noticed, Harry, but people are laughing! Yet, I’m not the one downstairs right now joking about how he most likely did this shite to himself! I’m not the one acting like Sadie right now, mocking and jesting, because she’s still pissed about what Malfoys’ father did to her sister during the war!”
‘Wait, what?’
“Seriously?” Harry replied as Hermione rubbed her fingers across her forehead before walking a few steps away from the boys. “Sadie has a legitimate reason for being angry, you don’t!”
‘What the hell did my father do?’
“I am allowed to be angry that I was dumped because the girl I am in love with left me for a guy with loads of money! Worst of all, he will never see her as anything more than a filthy little mud blood!”
‘Piss off you fucking weasel!’
“ENOUGH!” Hermione shouted as she whipped her body around; her cheeks turning cherry red while her hair began to crackle from the rage of her magic. The two Gryffindor’s stopped arguing instantly while they watched Hermione clench her fists tightly at her side before storming up to Ron with a waving finger. “This whole thing is a load of rubbish! I broke up with you because I saw our relationship going nowhere!” she claimed while cutting a hand through the air in anger. “All you wanted to do was talk about the war and-and Quidditch! You were only with me because we shared the same trauma and I just happened to be there! Anytime it ever came to something I wanted to do, you complained or-or you acted as if it was the most boring thing in the world! It had nothing to do with you being broke or Malfoy having money!”
‘One hundred points to Gryffindor! Hold on…he’s broke…Is that the push Longbottom was talking about?’
“That’s not true…” Ron replied benevolently.
“Oh, really?” Hermione declared as she crossed her arms. “You whined about being bored whenever I decided to sit down and read a book! You complained anytime I wanted to go out to have a meal in muggle London, you expected me to watch every single one of your matches against your brothers, and you insulted me whenever I refused to hop on your damn broom because I didn’t trust you enough to not drop me! That’s all you ever do, Ronald; you find ways to demean me when things don’t go the way you want them to! I didn’t break up with you because I wanted Malfoy; I broke up with you because you are-are toxic and you know what, I take it back…Lavender and you are perfect together. You both complement each other’s abase personalities!”
‘Gryffindor wins House Cup!’
“Mione, I-”
“Get out!” Hermione yelled as she pointed to the door and a tear trickled down her porcelain cheek. “Just…get out.”
“Mione” Ron pleaded.
“Ron” Harry interjected “I think it’s best if you just go. We’ll talk later, alright?”
The red-head glanced back and forth between his two friends in utter dismay before looking to the ground in defeat and walked out of the room. As soon as the door clicked closed, Hermione burst into tears as Harry quickly scooped her into his arms and hugged her tightly.
‘Please don’t cry, love…He’s not worth it…’
“Shh, it’s okay” Harry whispered as he held tightly to his best friend. “It’s going to be okay” he claimed, pulling back from the hug to wipe the tears off the bookworms face. “But he has a point, Mione; you can’t stay in here forever. I know you really like him but-”
“You don’t get it, Harry” Hermione cut in as she brushed her fingers across her moistened cheek. “I can’t just leave him…I-I love him.”
‘What?’ Draco thought as his breath caught and his heart began to race, causing an aching feeling to besiege his entire body. ‘What did she say?’
“Mione…I can’t even begin to comprehend your feelings for the guy who made all of our lives miserable, but…I’m willing to try…for you. However, you need to clear you head. You’ve been in this room all day and there has been no change to his condition. You need a break.”
‘No, wait! She said she loves me! I need to tell her!’ the Slytherin yelled, but unfortunately, no one could hear him.
“I don’t need a break. I need him to wake up!” Hermione replied as she lowered her head into the soft tissue of Harrys’ shoulder.
‘I am awake! I’m awake dammit!’
“He will…I just don’t think it will be tonight…Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up and off to bed. You need some rest. It’s been a long day.”
‘NO! STOP! POTTER, STOP!’ Draco shouted in his head as he tried to move, causing pain to radiate his whole body, but he didn’t care; he had to tell Hermione…he loved her too.
The Gryffindor duo began to walk towards the door, forcing the Slytherin to fight with everything he had to move. Somehow, Draco had managed to raise his chest off the bed as he groaned loudly in sheer agony. The pain potions were beginning to wear off and the energy he was expelling to move began to cause absolute distress on his healing bones. However, the action made the pair stop in their tracks and race over to him.
Draco began to flail in anguish as the pain bombarded his mind and he could no longer think about anything else. Hermione quickly picked up his medication as Harry tried to hold the Slytherin Prince down to prevent him from doing any more damage. The bookworm began to pour the potions down Draco’s throat, one after the other, until the unexpected pain subsided and Draco’s body once again relaxed.
“Malfoy! Malfoy are you alright?” Hermione asked in a panic as Harry gently released his hold on Draco’s shoulders and she leaned over the Slytherin to check him over.
But a sudden memory rushed to the forefront of Harry’s mind, causing him to almost fall backwards in shock. It was like he was reliving flashes of a conversation he didn’t remember having, with a guy he could have sworn would never freely give him advice. But there it was, clear as day as if I just happened only moments ago.
Harry stood up straight with wide eyes as he looked at Draco in confusion. While Hermione gently caressed the Slytherin’s cheek with the back of her hand, Harry shook the memory from his head and looked to Hermione with a heavy breath.
‘Did it work? He touched me? Someone say something, I can’t see him!’
“Is-is Ginny pregnant?” he asked in wonder.
‘YES! Merlin, thank you!’
Hermione snapped her head to the boy-who-lived in complete surprise as her jaw dropped and her eyes began to bulge. Draco groggily rotated his head towards the sound of voices while struggling to open his eyes, but he could only make out the silhouettes of the two Gryffindor’s in his bedroom.
‘Salazar, what the hell did Hermione give me? It’s blurring everything…Wait a second…shite! Doesn’t one of those potions contain Valerian sprigs? Ah, fuck me! That’s why I’ve been so tired? I’ve been drugged with a pain potion that includes a sedative!’
“Ho-how did you find out? She only just told me a few hours ago…She said she didn’t tell you yet because-”
“She’s afraid I’ll leave her?” Harry quickly cut in “I-I-”
“Harry? How did you find out?”
‘Don’t...fall…asleep…I want…to hear…thi…’
“I need to speak to Ginny!” Harry stated as his eyes darted back and forth and he lowered his head while a hundred thoughts raced through his mind. “I-I have to tell her I won’t leave her!” he claimed, lifting his head rather quickly.
“Harry, just calm down” Hermione stated gently as she stood up and Draco drifted off into a deep slumber. “I-I don’t know how you figured it out or why you’re suddenly bringing it up now, but you have plenty of time to speak with her. Just let her have some fun tonight. Talk with her tomorrow after everything has settled and you’ve had some time to really think about it all.”
“This is all too much…” the Chosen One declared as he ran his fingers through his black hair. “First Malfoy gets attacked, then that-that fight with Ron and you…and now Ginny. What the hell is going on, Mione?”
“I don’t know. But tomorrow is a new day so let’s just focus on making it until then. You go have fun at the Ball and-”
“I’m not leaving you here alone, Mione” Harry interrupted. “You need to get out of here. I don’t care if it’s to go to bed or-or attend the Ball. You need a breather.”
“I’ll be fine, Harry. Don’t worry about me. Besides, Malfoy was able to move which means his body is healing well. If he fully wakes up tonight…well, at least he won’t wake up alone with no one here to support him. Someone needs to stay with him.”
“Hermione…”
“No, Harry. This is not up for debate” Hermione claimed while holding up a hand. “I’m staying and that’s final. Now go have a blast with the girl who loves you and just…let me be here for Malfoy.”
“You don’t have to pretend with me” Harry stated with a sigh.
“What?”
“Mione, you keep calling him Malfoy when we both know you want to call him Draco. You told me your true feelings so there’s no reason to hide it…at least not in front of me. I support you and every choice you make because unlike Ron, I know you don’t jump into things lightly. Besides…I have a strong feeling he may actually like you more than you think.”
“I-I don’t understand…” the curly-haired witch expressed with a raised brow. “Why are you saying this now and not when Ron went off about Mal-I mean, Draco, not liking me?”
“Because I didn’t know then…Call it a gut feeling or maybe even a very strange intuition, but I feel like he told me…I just can’t recall when. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Point is, I can’t change your mind or force you to do anything you don’t want, but at least I can say I tried. If you’re going to stay in here, then do me a favor and try to get some rest. You look completely worn and it worries me.”
“I appreciate you caring about me, Harry, but I’ll be okay…I promise” she smiled warmly. “Now go, have fun. And tell Ron to bugger off if he even thinks about wanting to come back in here!”
“I’ll do my best” he chuckled before walking over to the door. “Love you…” he whispered with his hand on the doorknob.
“I love you too, Harry…Now go…Please.”
With that being said, Harry smiled softly before opening the door and walking out, leaving Hermione once again alone in the room with the Slytherin. Draco stirred in his sleep in discomfort as the pain potions tried to ease the agonizing achiness of his bones re-growing. Hermione felt sympathy for the blonde resting in his pajamas, so she walked over to him and pulled up the covers to his chest before sitting on the edge of the bed.
She knew Draco would probably shout at her or curse her if he ever knew she was in his room, let alone sitting on his bed, however she couldn’t bring herself to walk away. She had grown accustom to the arguments he picked and knew that he didn’t mean half the things he had ever said to her. She could see it in his eyes, the burnt-out rage, the self-loathing misery, the guilt he possessed, and she still managed to someone how fall for him.
Hermione could see the scared boy deep inside; she had seen it for years, even if he couldn’t. And it’s not like he wanted to hurt her…no…she knew he didn’t because every time he tried to insult her or belittle her, she could see the sadness behind his ocean grey eyes…unlike Ron’s who never seemed to possess even a strand of sympathy.
Draco was depressed, there was no doubt about that, and Hermione knew it wasn’t because of the war. She knew because the day she saw him break his mold and that scared little boy appeared, was the day she was tortured on his Drawing Room floor by his sadistic Aunt…the day that haunted both of them.
If only he would talk to her about it…she would tell him that she was fully aware he had no choice but to stand watch rather than help her. She was more than willing to tell him every day since school started back up, that she realized he wasn’t at fault like Ron and others have said. He had no choice and if he would just speak with her, she would tell him…she forgave him.
Draco groaned as the pain potions ran threw his veins to soothe his brittle bones, causing Hermione to pull away from her thoughts and shed a silent tear for the blonde in pain. Without thinking, the Gryffindor rotated her body and laid down next to the Slytherin Prince. If she couldn’t take away his pain, the least she could do is offer him some comfort; let him know he was safe in some way.
She didn’t touch him as she rolled to her side and slid her right hand under the pillow her head was resting on. The last thing she wanted to do was wake Draco only to have him panic and hurt both of them with his flailing. Instead she watched him as he slowly began to calm and his breath became strong and steady once more. Before she knew it however, sleep overtook the Gryffindor Golden Girl and her head steadily drifted closer and closer to the Slytherin.
11:55pm
Draco’s eyes suddenly burst open as an unknown force stirred him awake. He couldn’t recall what caused him to wake up but he had a flutter in his stomach and a thought in his mind that made him feel like he was supposed to be up right now.
Turning his head to the left, hair caught in his mouth and he sputtered the strands away from his lips in confusion and disgust. He wanted to push the person laying atop him away, but he realized after a few seconds that the person laying curled against him…was Hermione.
His breath caught in his throat as his heart began to beat faster and a smile formed on his perfect pale lips. Problem was however, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do now. The only person he had ever shared a bed with before was Theo, and that was only when his friend snuck out in the middle of the night to escape his tyrant father over the summer and holidays…The idea of a girl in his bed was completely new, but knowing she was sleeping on him was terrifying…yet exciting.
Glancing up at the clock on the nightstand, he noted the time read 11:56pm and Draco had to hold back from sitting up straight to celebrate. It was the first time in all his repetitive days that he had made it to almost midnight. He didn’t die or get knocked out, nor did he run into any major issues that would cause him to lose everything he had worked so hard to gain. A large grin spread across his face as he wrapped his healed arms around Hermione and brought her closer to his body. The Gryffindor snuggled into his chest but didn’t wake from the pull and he silently kissed the top of her hair.
Draco’s heart swelled with affection as he looked at the bookworm wrapped in his arms before caressing the side of her face with his fingertips. He strongly wondered why he had never given her a chance before, but then he remembered the guilt that had played at his heart strings, causing him to fall into a deep depression in the first place.
She was the reason he kept to himself…she was the reason he hated everything about his actions and who he was as a person. Hermione Granger was the everyday reminder, that he was a failure. Yet she loved him. She said it herself, and he couldn’t for the life of him help but wonder…why? He had been nothing but a prat to her; a selfish egotistical git that should, by anyone’s standards, be unlovable…but she loves him.
And he loves her…
Draco leaned down slightly and laid a gentle lingering kiss on Hermione’s forehead before pulling her closer to his body once more.
“I love you too, Hermione…I love you too…”
He glanced back up at the clock and waited for the hands to strike twelve so he could cheerfully celebrate his victory. Just as the big hand touched the number he longed for, a memory from two weeks prior flashed before his eyes; one where Theo recounted information about time-loops.
‘Well, in the movies, the day either resets by the clock hitting 12:00am or…or the person dies and comes back…’
“No…” Draco’s eyes widened as he watched the clock strike midnight and the second hand abruptly froze in place. “No, please no!” he whispered aloud.
He waited for the second hand to resume clockwise formation, but to his displeasure the hand clicked counter-clockwise once before suddenly dropping as if it no longer had any control. Hermione slowly began to shift backwards away from him giving Draco enough room to sit up and watch in distress as everything that occurred that day began to rewind.
Hermione sat up and looked down at him causing Draco to turn around to see himself faintly laying on the bed asleep. She touched his cheek before pulling away as the clock continued to reverse and Harry walked backwards into the room.
“NO!”
Before he knew it, Ron was back and he stared in discontent as the argument settled and Hermione went back to sitting next to him like nothing had ever occurred.
“NO, NO, NO, NO! STOP! PLEASE STOP! I’LL GET IT RIGHT, JUST STOP!” he shouted as he knelt on his sheets and panicked.
Suddenly, Professor McGonagall, Professor Slughorn, and Neville entered the room and talked in reverse so quickly, Draco couldn’t keep up. Then they abruptly left one at a time and Pansy appeared with Hermione before their conversation occurred.
One after another after another, people left and entered his room as his faded body lay motionless behind him and all Draco could do was watch in horror as his entire day reset.
“No!” he sobbed into his hands. “Please, I’ll fix it…Please stop…”
A swift force pushed the Slytherin Prince down onto his bed and he shut his eyes tightly as he cried his eyes out before everything…went dead quiet.
“Draco!” Theo bellowed from the other side of the wooded entryway “Draco, are you up yet? Pansy wants us all to walk down to breakfast together!”
Draco sat up straight with a heavy breath and looked around the room. Determination creased the lines in his forehead and he thought long and hard about his next move. Standing up, he answered Theo before looking at himself in the mirror. Lifting his white shirt, Draco noticed the healing spells and potions hadn’t reversed and the large Lichtenberg scar that once covered his chest, was no longer there.
Lowering his shirt, the blonde gazed into the mirror as he planned everything he was going to do today…down to the very last detail.
“This is it, Draco…This is your last chance…It’s now or never…”
- 9
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