Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Bound	By : goldhorse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 126052 -:- Recommendations : 15 -:- Currently Reading : 31
Disclaimer: JK owns HP. Not me. I also don't own any quotes you might recognize. I make no money doing this, I just get the plot bunnies to quit interrupting my sleep.

Chapter List
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Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall arrived at the prefect bathroom with Moaning Myrtle shortly after the students collapsed inside. Myrtle pointed and said, “In there! Someone left them to die! It would be nice to have company but they told me they’d come visit me if I got help.”

Dumbledore thanked Myrtle and tried the door but it wouldn’t budge. Running diagnostics, it took the three professors over an hour to get through the wards and open the door. The site that they stumbled upon was dumbfounding. The bathroom was exactly as it should be, nothing out of place. The only difference was the two students lying in heaps on the floor.

A puddle of thick blood surrounded Hermione. Her calf bone had pierced through the skin. Cuts and bruises covered her body and her face was ghostly pale. A blue tinge had crept on her lips as if she had already died. She was cold to the touch.

Draco wasn’t in much better shape. He was curled in a ball about 10 feet from Hermione. His ankle jutted out from his leg at a 90-degree angle sideways, snapped in half. His elbow was bent backwards and lying crookedly at his side. His other shoulder was obviously dislocated. His other arm was holding his ribs. Cuts and bruises marred his body. He was also cold with blue tinged lips.

Madam Pomfrey was immediately summoned. She conjured stretchers for the two and levitated them to the hospital wing. There, she checked their vitals and found them alive, but just barely. She started mending their fractures first.

Hermione obviously had a broken leg. Once that was mended, her ribs became the priority. One had broken and pierced a lung. The damage was extensive and Pomfrey almost called St. Mungos to help, but at Dumbledore’s insistence, she healed them herself. Then she administered a blood-replenishing potion with much difficulty.

Draco’s injuries were of the same level of severity. His ankle and elbow were quite easy to repair. However, patching his lungs proved difficult. Upon further inspection, it seemed that someone had placed a permanent charm between his ribs and lungs to prevent them from piercing, but the charm was failing and pressure from the rib had collapsed it. It took quite a bit of spell work, but Pomfrey was finally able to heal him.

Then she met with Dumbledore and Snape in the infirmary. Neither the Headmaster, nor the Head of the Slytherin house wanted Voldemort to get wind that two students had apparently been in a duel. Whether it was with each other or an unknown assailant would have to be determined when they woke. They also didn’t want to alert the Ministry, for fear of a full-blown investigation. It was obvious that something quite profound had happened in that bathroom and they wanted to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible without interference.

XXXXXXXXX

Hermione was walking through darkness. She couldn’t see anything. It was completely black. She couldn’t see any light. The darkness was all consuming, as if something had sucked every speck of illumination out of the world. She felt a deep foreboding come over her the further she walked. Just before she stopped to turn around, she heard it. It was a small whimper.

“Who’s there?”

There was no answer, only a light moan. Deeply confused and a little scared, she continued on her trek. It was as if she were walking through a dream. She didn’t feel her feet touch the floor. There were no walls. There was no sound. She couldn’t even hear herself breathing. She was starting to wonder if she had died.

I never thought death would feel so…empty, she thought.

XXXXXXXX

Draco was walking through the darkness. He was used to this. He could retreat into his mind after he’d passed out from his latest round of torture. It brought him comfort and relief. Not many people could separate the mind from the body. He was taking a leisurely stroll through the dark when he heard it, a small whimper.

“Who’s there?”

There was no answer, only a light moan. He shrugged it off. Perhaps he wasn’t as disconnected from his body as he originally thought. Maybe if he just sat down to concentrate, he could rejoin his body and resume life. However, he didn’t want to. Inside his mind was peaceful. There was no Dark Lord, no threat to his family, no snotty know-it-all Gryffindor who now knew all his darkest secrets. He rather liked it here.

XXXXXXXX

Hermione heard the whimpering sound again and willed herself to move toward it. It continued to get louder as she moved. The sound was beginning to become deafening. She screamed, “WHO’S THERE?” The sound that answered her made her blood run cold.

Draco had decided to sit down and enjoy the peace and quiet when he heard the whimpering again. He decided he’d better at least check it out. He didn’t want to return too quickly. He wasn’t looking forward to the pain that would come. Suddenly he heard a voice that made him freeze in fear. Granger was yelling out to him.

“Granger?! What the fuck are you doing in my mind?”

“Malfoy? What do you mean in your mind? I can’t see anything and I can barely hear you over the sounds.”

“You are in my mind Granger. Or, am I in your mind? The moaning is new to me. Perhaps I am not as disconnected as I thought I was. Apparently, we are in a lot of pain and unable to communicate.”

“How can you be so calm?! What is happening to us? What if we can’t escape? WHERE ARE WE?”

“Shut up you stupid mudblood and let me think!” he yelled.

“How dare you, you pompous pureblood prat! You are no better than me and I PROVED that!”

Malfoy laughed. “The only thing you proved, Granger, is that you can take a hit.”

Hermione screamed.

“Stop that, dammit. I can barely think as it is!” Draco hissed.

Defeated and afraid, Hermione sat down or she thought she did. The darkness was unsettling. The moaning disappeared and all that was left was a deafening silence. “Where are we Malfoy?” she asked in a small, crushed voice.

“I already told you mudblood; we are in my mind, or your mind. Perhaps both.”

“You aren’t making any sense! How can we be in our minds?”

Malfoy sighed heavily. He was tired of the bickering and it wasn’t getting them anywhere. “Alright Granger, since it seems like we will be here for a while, I’ll just explain it to you. When your body is traumatized and you have a strong control over your mind, you can retreat into it. When you do this, you essentially separate mind from body. You remain unconscious to everyone else in the outside world and while in your mind, you are oblivious to your surroundings. It is a sort of disconnect. While in your mind, you don’t feel pain anymore. I’ve done it a few times. Sometimes, it is the only way to keep from going insane from the pain.”

Hermione gasped. Her mind was spinning and she had so many questions. “So, how do we get out of here?”

“Well, normally, you concentrate on your body. You must be able to picture your body and will yourself to function. Slowly, pain will increase. When you have all your senses back, you should be able to wake up.

”Okay,” she drawled. “How does one concentrate on one’s body?”

“What’s that Granger? Little Miss Know-it-all doesn’t know how to take control of her mind? I always knew you had your nose in a book to cover up your incompetence!”

Hermione screamed and lunged toward the sound of Malfoy’s voice. She felt nothing but heard him grunt as if she had hit him. She wondered how she had made contact with him if she was in her mind. They weren’t exactly physical beings here, right?

Malfoy felt the hit. He never realized you could cause pain in the mind, but somehow Granger had figured out a way to touch him. “How in the fuck did you do that mudblood?”

Hermione growled. “Stop calling me that ferret! If you didn’t notice from before, our fight in the bathroom revealed that we have the same blood. You couldn’t tell the difference between your precious pureblood and my dirty blood, could you? COULD YOU?”

“That’s not the point! How were you able to attack me in my mind?”

“I don’t care what your point is FERRET! I’m not telling you until you admit that you aren’t any better than me!”

Malfoy lost it. How DARE she say that she was his equal? He was a pureblood. Purebloods are superior. She’s was a mudblood and they were thieves, nothing better than a cockroach, a blemish. He lunged toward her voice and heard her grunt. Wait. He hurt her and yet he hadn’t come in contact with her.

Hermione felt the blow. It wasn’t a centered pain, just an overall jolt, like someone had placed one punch to every part of her body at the same time. She groaned, “Just like that ferret.”

Draco was quiet for a long time. He wanted to go back to his body, but could he if Granger was still connected somehow to his mind? There was no telling how long they had been there, as time doesn’t pass the same when retreating in the mind. Hours could go by in what seemed like seconds.

There was one other thing bothering him. Who’s mind was he in? He felt as though he was in his own mind, and yet, Granger was here. He was sure they had ended the spell that had somehow connected their minds. However, he wasn’t so certain now. They couldn’t see each other’s memories anymore, but they could attack each other. The possibility of having their minds bonded frightened him. Finally, he spoke.

“Granger, I want to get out of here.”

“You aren’t the only one Malfoy.”

“Then I suggest we concentrate and go back.”

“Your plan is flawed Malfoy. You still haven’t told me how to get out of here.”

“I thought you would have figured that out by now miss perfect.”

“Well I haven’t, dammit. I’ve had too much on my mind.” Then, noticing the irony of her words, she burst into laughter.

Upon hearing her laughter, Draco realized what she had said. He joined her. It was the first time he had laughed in a very long time. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had such a lighthearted moment. When they finally died down, he sobered and decided to speak.

“Okay Granger. Remember how you hit me earlier? All you have to do is focus that energy on your body. Concentrate on it and try to open your eyes. We’ll have to do it together. No telling what would happen if one of us were left behind.”

Hermione’s mind was reeling. She knew that it wasn’t plausible that they were stuck in each other’s minds. Were they of a single mind now? Were they in their own minds but connected somehow? The thought they were somehow connected made her spine tingle, if she had one here, but the feeling was the same nevertheless.

“OK. But how do we time it to the second? I’ve never done this before you know.”

“Well, I’ll talk you through it. It might take longer, but at least we’ll arrive at the same time. Be warned though Granger, only powerfully advanced wizards have been able to do this by themselves, let alone synchronized with another.”

“Ok. So how did we do this Malfoy? It sounds like you’ve done this before. How could you have if only the most powerful wizards have?”

Draco thought for a little while. He didn’t want to reveal all his secrets. He was sure they weren’t in the bathroom anymore and therefore the protection offered by the wizard’s oath wouldn’t cover him here. He decided to be as vague as possible.

“You’d be surprised at what I can do Granger. Now, are you in or out, because frankly, I don’t want to be stuck in my mind with YOU of all people any longer than I have to”

Hermione paused for quite a while. She knew he was hiding something, but she was certain he wasn’t going to tell her now that the wizard’s oath would no longer protect him. She wasn’t too keen on spilling any of her secrets either, so she decided to take the easy way out and go along with it.

“Being stuck with you is no bloody picnic. How do we start?”

Draco was surprised she conceded so easily. He briefly wondered if she had something to hide as well. He quickly shrugged it off, in favor of separating from her as quickly as possible. Merlin forbid if anyone should find out that he was being civil to a mudblood.

“First, control your breathing. Will yourself to breathe in and out slowly. Try to feel just one part of your body. For the sake of ease, focus just on your ears and trying to hear the sounds going on around you. Begin.”

Silence consumed the two. Draco slowly concentrated on his hearing. He wasn’t certain they would reach their bodies at the same time and it had him worried. He didn’t want to admit it, but he feared that now their survival depended on each other.

“I can hear something,” Hermione said. She was concentrating as hard as she could. She could hear Harry talking to her, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. She thought her head was starting to hurt. That was a good sign, right? “Malfoy! I can hear Harry!”

“Unfortunately, so can I. Damn Potter. What is he saying?”

“I can’t make it out. It’s all jumbled, but I recognize his voice.”

“Concentrate harder.”

They sat in silence a while and willed themselves to listen. Hermione finally started to understand what Harry was saying. He was vowing to take revenge on Malfoy.

“That’s not very nice, is it mudblood?”

“I TOLD you not to call me that FERRET! Wait, you heard him?”

“Yes I heard him. It’s not like I wanted to be stuck in your mind, is it?”

“How do we know we are in MY mind? What if this is your mind?”

“Then get out of my damn mind Granger!”

“Arhg. Let’s stop this. It isn’t getting us anywhere! What’s the next step? I can hear, so now what?”

“Now, concentrate on your sense of smell. Since you already have your hearing down, smell shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Hermione concentrated again. She started to catch whiffs of smell. “I smell the hospital wing, healing potions, chocolate, and aftershave.”

“Aftershave, Granger?”

“Yes. Ron always overdoes it when he’s trying to impress a girl,” she said in a defeated voice.

Malfoy sighed. He’d seen how much Granger was hurt when her last memory of the Weasel and Brown kissing came into his mind. He didn’t even know why he cared. He was also wondering if Granger would be able to see his thoughts now even though he couldn’t read hers. Was she a better legilimens than he was? He decided to change the subject. He REALLY needed to get out of here where he could think. She was making him go barmy.

“Well, seems we have smell down. Let’s try taste.”

They both were silent for a while.

“EWWW. I hate the taste of blood,” Hermione moaned.

Malfoy chuckled. “What’s the matter Granger, taste a bit muddy to you?”

“You are a right bastard! What’s next, so I can get the hell away from you?”

Ignoring her outburst, Draco answered. “Well, let’s try feelings and touch. Then we will have control over our bodies. Sight will have to follow after that since we need control to open our eyes.”

They both concentrated for a long time. Suddenly, they both felt like needles were piercing every inch of their bodies. Their lungs were on fire and pain shot through them. The sensations were lost as they were once again consumed with darkenss.

“What happened?” Hermione gasped.

“Sometimes it takes a while to work through the pain.” Draco explained. They spoke at length about all aspects of controlling the mind and shutting parts of it down while they rested. After a while, they tried again.

The hearing came quickly and easily. Once again, Harry was muttering encouraging words in Hermione’s ear. The smell and taste came quickly again too. Then it was time for touch. The pain shot through them but they both were determined to push through the fire that consumed them.

They both screamed.

IN THE HOSPITAL WING:

Hermione and Draco had been in the infirmary for a week and a half. No one knew what happened. Myrtle only said that they told her they were trapped and she was to find a professor. It had taken the combined efforts of Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall to break into the prefect’s bathroom. They had never seen wards so strong.

Neither student had regained consciousness. They were both found battered and broken. It looked like Voldemort himself had tortured them, yet everything in the bathroom was in pristine condition. A spell on the bathroom revealed a duel but the last traceable spell made by both wands was finite incantatum.

Ron and Harry came to visit Hermione every day. Harry was inconsolable. He was filled with rage at the thought that Malfoy might have done this to Hermione. The fact that Malfoy was injured as well had no merit on his thinking. He knew that prat was a no good Death Eater. He’d tried several times to get a look at Malfoy’s arm, but every time he got close, he would be caught or Hermione would moan loudly. Harry had taken to sneaking out at night and breaking into the infirmary underneath his invisibility cloak. He’d talk to Hermione about everything and nothing. He promised her revenge. He promised to never leave her alone again, if she would just wake up.

Ron was constantly tricking Lavender into thinking he was practicing Quiddich so she wouldn’t throw a fit about him visiting Hermione. Lavender was extremely jealous that he wanted to spend so much time with Hermione. He couldn’t help it though. He felt guilty that she had run from him and straight into the enemy. He wasn’t sure why she ran, but he knew that he had somehow caused it. He too vowed revenge on Malfoy.

Their wounds had healed; Madam Pomfrey deemed that there should be nothing keeping them unconscious. Even a well-placed ‘expergiscere’ wouldn’t work. It was the dead of the night and Harry had once again snuck out to the infirmary. Suddenly, both students sat straight up. Their eyes were screwed shut and they screamed at the top of their lungs for a full minute. Then, simultaneously, they both stopped, laid back down, and a serene look overtook their features. Their eyes slowly opened and their eyes flitted around, obviously shocked to find themselves in the hospital wing. Harry yelled for joy, hugged the life out of Hermione and then ran for Madam Pomfrey so she could check her out.

As soon as Harry left, Hermione started panicking. She couldn’t see! “MALFOY!”

With a huge sigh, he drawled, “Yes Granger, I’m here too. Just close your eyes and concentrate on focusing your vision and the blindness will go away. I’m warning you though, things will be blurry for a while.”

She did just that and was pleased to see that although blurry, she could make out shapes. Hoping against hope that she could trust Malfoy on this one thing, she contentedly laid there in silence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“What do you suppose that was?” Snape asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence that had enveloped between him an Albus in the Headmaster’s office.

“Honestly, Severus, I’m just not sure.”

The two had been summoned by Poppy after Potter had practically dragged her from her office and into the hospital wing. He was yelling and talking so fast that she could barely make out what he was saying. All she caught was Hermione and awake. That was enough for her as she ran with him.

The medi-witch found Hermione and Draco lying awake, staring at the ceiling silently. Hearing the bustle of both Potter and Pomfrey, they turned simultaneously to see them. Immediately, she was bustling about, taking their vitals, administering nourishing potions, asking tons of questions on how they felt, and generally coddling them like a mother hen. She had asked Harry to find the Headmaster and tell him the news.

Harry had run full speed down the hallways to the stone gargoyle guarding the Headmaster’s office. “Licorice whips,” he bit out, panting from his exertion. The spiral staircase carried him upward where he beat on the door to the office and barged in. Ignoring Snape who was glaring at him for obviously interrupting what he deemed an important conversation, he yelled that Hermione and Malfoy were awake. Then he impatiently followed after the two back to the hospital wing.

Dumbledore and Snape sat back and observed the two interacting with the medi-witch. It seemed like their movements were synchronized. Not wanting to bombard the two with tons of questions, and seeing as how Poppy was doing a fabulous job of taking care of two thoroughly annoyed students, they expressed their happiness at their return to consciousness and left. Dumbledore ordered a full report when Madam Pomfrey was through and he made sure that Harry returned to Gryffindor tower with the instructions not to speak to anyone about their awakening. He could see the anger boiling in Harry when he wouldn’t let him question his friend, but he insisted and Harry grudgingly retreated back to his dormitory. The two professors retreated back to the Headmaster’s office to continue their discussion, but were distracted.

“Did the revealing spell have any discrepancies in it?” Snape asked.

“As a matter of fact, it did. There was a spell that lasted several moments. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen such a spell before, but I have heard of one close to it.”

Snape sneered. “Then by all means, reveal the last spell you’ve heard of like this. Were the casters unconscious afterwards?”

Dumbledore’s eyes were twinkling madly. “No, the casters were very much aware. The last spell I have heard of like that was a priori incantatum between Voldemort and Mr. Potter.”

“WHAT?!” Snape yelled. He got up and paced madly, his robe billowing back and forth. “You mean to tell me that those two used the exact same spell at the exact same time and connected wands? I thought Potter’s connection was impossible, let alone two unrelated students. There is nothing connecting them together. He’s a pureblood and she’s muggle-born. They aren’t related in any sense of the word. There haven’t been any previous heated duels or overly traumatic events between the two. Their wands aren’t even close to the same.”

Dumbledore clasped his hands on the desk and leaned back in his chair. “Serverus, I did not say they connected wands.”

Snape gasped. His pale complexion drained to a ghostly white upon realization of what had happened. “We must snap the connection! You know how dangerous it could be for them to be able to access each other’s minds. What if HE found out? This could destroy them both!” Snape collapsed in the chair, his head in his hands.

“Maybe not. If we can sever the connection, they can go their separate ways, with an understanding of silence of course. If not, we can teach them to control it.”

“CONTROL IT!” Snape yelled. “First, what stops either one of them from telling each other’s deepest secrets? I’m sure having connected like that, they know enough to completely destroy any lead we had on the Dark Lord. Second, how can you control something that has NEVER happened before?”

“Severus, calm yourself. I saw evidence of a powerful wizard’s oath. If I’m not mistaken, it was a blood bound oath. One can only hope it was an oath of secrecy between them. As far as controlling it, we have to try. If the connection cannot be severed, then they must learn to cope or face the consequences. Would it be so bad for such opposites to be connected? You have been trying to convince young Mr. Malfoy to accept your help. Perhaps Miss Granger can help us convince him.”

“Your optimism and meddling will be the death of us all Albus,” Snape snarked. After a long silence, he sighed deeply. In a resigned voice he said, “Alright, what do we do?”

“I think it best to attempt to question them together. Since they appear to be linked, maybe a dual attempt would break down whatever resistance or story they have forged. Afterwards, we tell them only what they need to know. We let them alone and observe. For in observation, we might be able to tell the depth of this problem.”

“Albus, you do know that Mr. Malfoy has had his magic bound?”

“I do, Severus. And while I do not agree with it, I understand the reasoning. If anyone found out, Mr. Malfoy could be in even more serious danger than he already is. However, you must know that Miss. Granger was bound some time ago as well.”

Snape spun around and narrowed his eyes at the Headmaster. “Why was she bound Albus?”

“It seems that after her last bout of accidental magic involving an upset over vegetables, Minerva discovered just how strong her core is. Rather than risk Miss Granger losing control again, she asked me to help bind her. We haven’t lifted the bind yet, in fact, we’ve put strengthening bonds on top of it each year. I’m not even sure that Miss Granger is aware of it.”

“Headmaster, do you have any idea what this means?”

“I do indeed Severus. It crossed my mind the minute we tried dismantling the wards on the restroom. I think it wise to question them as quickly as possible. If needed, we might have to rebind them. There is no telling what they are capable of if they have formed any kind of a bond.”

“Fine. I do NOT like this, but it seems that we have no choice. Let’s go to them first thing in the morning. The sooner we speak to them, the sooner we can find out the damage.”

Dumbledore and Snape waited patiently in the infirmary for the two to wake up. Madam Pomfrey had informed them of the student’s inabilities to sleep, negating the need for sleeping draught to be placed in their pumpkin juice. It was a mild sedative, good for only a few hours.

Around 6:00 AM, the two woke up concurrently. “Welcome back Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger,” Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.

Snape merely sneered at the two. When they finally woke all the way, they both slowly turned toward their professors. Then they looked around the infirmary and noticed a white screen separating them. They didn’t know how or why they knew, but the other was on the opposite side.

After seeing the two staring at the separation screen, they professors exchanged knowing glances. They slowly walked to the screen and pulled it away. Draco and Hermione’s eyes met, widened, and then narrowed to tiny slits.

They both carefully hoisted themselves up off their beds and walked towards each other. Instinctively, they extended their hands, closed their eyes, and touched their palms together. A bright gold light enveloped the two. It faded as suddenly as it appeared and the two collapsed in the floor.

The professors stared at the two quizzically. Madame Pomfrey levitated the two onto their beds, where their eyes opened once more.

“What happened?” they asked in unison.

Dumbledore pulled up a chair and sat between the two. A small smile graced his features. “I could ask you two the same thing.”

They both started stammering at once, phrases here and there could be picked out of the rambling. “We were jumped. Dragged into the bathroom. All went black. Lots of pain.” When they realized they were talking over each other, they both stopped and stared at their hands.

Noticing the odd synchronization, Dumbledore shot a look at Snape before he stood and gave them both a warm smile. “Your clothes are in the table drawer beside your beds. Your wands have been held for safekeeping and will be returned to you when you recover. Restorative potions are grand things, but you must stay in here until Madam Pomfrey releases you. You two have been unconscious for one and a half weeks. Your homework will be sent here shortly after breakfast, although you might want to rest. I will expect you two to come to my office as soon as you’ve been dismissed.”

Dumbledore waved his wand and a piece of parchment floated to the foot of each of their beds. He turned to walk out of the infirmary when he stopped and turned back slightly. “I do so love jelly beans, don’t you?” Then he left, Snape trailing him silently.

Draco and Hermione each grabbed their papers. All that was written on them was: read when you are released. They snatched up their clothes and dragged the separation screen back in between them. They dressed in complete silence and then moved the screen once more.

“Malfoy,” Hermione whispered, breaking the silence. “Why did we connect palms? I know you saw the gold light, and then my headache disappeared. Did we somehow heal ourselves?”

“I don’t know,” Malfoy answered back in a whisper. “I think we are still somehow connected, although I am glad that no more memories are coming. I say we claim ignorance, and go our separate ways.”

“That sounds okay I guess. I don’t want anyone to know what happened. But, what if…never mind.”

Hermione was going to ask Malfoy if Voldemort would be able to see into his mind and tell what happened. She was so tired and confused that she decided to drop it until later. They still had to talk to Dumbledore and he always seemed to know what was going on, no matter what.

They spent the day alternately staring at the ceiling and drinking terrible tasting replenishing potions. Madam Pomfrey had sent a house elf up with a tray for each of them at each meal. They ate in silence.

The Professors had decided to keep their awakening a secret as long as possible so as not to disturb the two. After being in such a state for 1 1/2 weeks, they were bound to be exhausted. Although they knew that any moment, the Gryffindors were going to be bursting through the room to check on their fellow classmate. Dumbledore had asked Harry to keep it quiet, but the boy would at least tell Mr. Weasley. As the headmaster had stated, their homework was placed in their book bags beside their beds.

The two silently caught up on homework that morning. Trays were sent to them at lunch, and once again they ate in total silence. Neither wanted to discuss what happened. They’d done enough discussing for a lifetime while trapped. The ambience was comforting, not like the total silence they had been in. Wanting to clean up, they each stumbled toward the facilities, still too weak to walk properly. Finally, they gave up and latched on to each other. Too tired to argue or put up a fuss, they slowly helped each other toward the restrooms.

After performing a few wandless cleansing charms and washing their faces, they headed back toward bed. Just as they sat down, the doors burst open. Harry and Ron were just stopping by to check on Hermione before they headed off to DADA.

“Hermione!” Both Harry and Ron screamed as they enveloped her in a three-way bear hug.

Finally separating herself from the bone-crushing hug she was receiving, she amusedly asked, “You haven’t been worried have you?”

“Worried? WORRIED? We’ve been terrified that you wouldn’t come to! You’ve been out for over a week! WHAT HAPPENED?!?!” Harry was practically screeching by the end of his tirade.

Hermione cringed and shot a cursory glance at Malfoy, who was trying very hard not to laugh. She hated lying to her friends, but she had sworn an oath. If she broke it, it would mean her own life. Under the circumstances, she decided to go with the lesser evil.

“I don’t know what happened Harry. One moment I was walking down the hall. Then someone hexed me from behind, blindfolded me, beat me up, petrified me, and then levitated me to the bathroom. When the blindfold was removed, all I saw was Malfoy across from me and then everything went dark. The next thing I know, I’d woken up and Madam Pomfrey tells me that I’ve been in a coma for a week and a half. I don’t know what to think Harry.”

Hermione was trying hard not to cry. She knew that Harry and Ron would mistake it for her being understandably upset at being assaulted by an unknown person, but it was from the pain of lying to her best friends in the world. They’d had a rocky beginning, but since the troll incident in first year, they’d been nearly inseparable. She felt sick to her stomach for having to deceive them. She wanted to yell that Malfoy was a Death Eater and that he was going to kill Dumbledore and that they had been trapped in their minds, but she couldn’t.

She collapsed on the bed in tears. Just remembering seeing that moment when Voldemort gave Malfoy his mission made her want to vomit. The fact that she couldn’t blame Malfoy for it made it worse. She wanted to hex him for daring, but would she be able to resist if Voldemort held her parents captive? She was alone in this. She couldn’t even dare talking to Malfoy about it. She’d seen how magically strong he was and she didn’t care for a repeat of the bathroom duel. When this thought came to her, she started sobbing harder.

“Hey, we’re sorry Mione,” Ron said as he awkwardly patted her head. “We didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. We were just worried, that’s all. Don’t worry, we’ll never leave you alone again.”

Upon hearing this, she started wailing harder. She was mad at herself for acting like a hormonal fool in front of Malfoy of all people. She’d tried so hard not to appear weak. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Perhaps she could play it off as an act?

“It’s a-a-alright guys. I guess I’m j-j-just a bit overwhelmed with everything. I-I still have all my studies to catch up on and I don’t know w-what happened. It’s just a bit devastating I suppose.” Then she sniffled.

Harry gave her a wry grin. “I’d be just like you to think of your studies. We’ll leave you to it then and we’ll come back for a chat after Defense Against the Dark Arts. Snape will crucify us if we’re late.”

“Thanks Harry, Ron.” Hermione managed a small smile as she waved them off.

As the doors shut, Draco piped up. “What’s the matter mudblood, a wee bit emotional at seeing your boyfriends come bumbling about?”

“Shut up ferret,” Hermione snapped. “It’s called acting. You might want to learn how to before you have to face your master.”

Malfoy visibly paled and then sneered. “You don’t know anything mudblood. You just stay over there in your bed and shut the fuck up and leave me the fuck alone.”

“Gladly you wanker.”

A few hours later, Pansy came sauntering in swaying her hips in an over pronounced swagger. Hermione briefly wondered if she was going to throw a hip out of socket. Pansy’s shrill voice made her skin crawl as she simpered over Draco.

“Oh Draky-poo. I was so worried,” she said with an exaggerated pout. She leaned over to kiss him and he quickly turned his head. Hermione saw him flinch as her lips touched his cheek. He was tinged with green and looked like he was going to be sick at any moment. Hermione chuckled at the thought that the self-proclaimed Prince of Slytherin could be so easily defeated by a pug faced pureblooded slag.

Quickly, Pansy bolted up and looked straight at Hermione. If looks could kill, the stare she was giving would have melted Hermione’s skin right off her face and turned her to ash. Malfoy, on the other hand, looked completely relieved that she had gotten away from him.

“This is all your fault you stupid little mudblood. I don’t know what you did to him but you are going to pay!”

With a flourish of her wand, Pansy sent a stinging hex at Hermione and held it. Already weak from her stint in a coma, she succumbed to the pain immediately. She felt her consciousness slipping away when the hex suddenly stopped. Peeling open her eyes, she saw that Malfoy was huddled up in a ball on his bed moaning in pain. Pansy’s attention had been broken by her concern for him.

“Oh Dracy, what’s wrong baby?”

“I dunno,” he gasped. “Maybe I was hurt worse than I thought. Go get Pomfrey Pansy.”

Pansy ran toward Madam Pomfrey’s office and Hermione was finally able to move from the fetal position she was in on the bed.

“What…happened…to you…ferret?” Hermione gasped.

“I don’t know…mudblood…it was like when she hexed you…she was hexing me as well,” he gasped back.

“That can’t be,” Hermione said weakly. She had started to gain her breath back. “That would mean that we were still connected somehow. I’m sure I can’t feel you in my mind anymore.”

“Nor I you but I’m telling you that it felt like she was hexing me too.”

Madam Pomfrey arrived in a right state. She was appalled at the condition she found her wards in and demanded that they weren’t to have any visitors for the rest of the week. Secretly, the two were very happy. They didn’t want a repeat of the hex incident.

The rest of the week went by in a comfortable silence. Neither spoke to each other. They both settled into a routine. In the morning, they ate breakfast that was taken to them by Dobby. Hermione had quaint conversations with him while Draco scoffed. Then they both started on their studies. Every now and then, they would ask each other a question. Since they were taking the same classes, it was easy to get a second opinion on an answer. Then lunch came and they once again ate in silence. More studies followed, as only one and a half weeks wielded tons of homework. Dinner was once again a silent affair and both knew that Pomfrey slipped them a sleeping draught with their evening pumpkin juice. Neither cared. It seemed to be the only way either could sleep.

The schedule only varied when each got up to take their showers. They made sure to stagger their morning and evening rituals so they wouldn’t have to bump into each other. In fact, their days seemed filled with ways to avoid looking or talking to each other even though they were in the same room. It was like there was a giant elephant in the room that they both refused to acknowledge. Both were burning with questions but each was too overwhelmed to ask them out loud.

How does one start a conversation about a homicidal madman, Hermione thought towards the end of the week? So, Malfoy, what’s it like having a mark burned into your flesh? How does it feel holding your family’s life in the balance over a stupid task? How are you going to kill the most powerful wizard that ever lived? That last thought brought a small smile to her face. The very thought seemed absurd but she couldn’t deny the fact that it was coming, whether she liked it or not. Worse, she couldn’t do anything to stop it except try to get Malfoy to come over to the other side. That last thought ran though her mind over and over as she drifted off to sleep that night.

Draco had seen her smile briefly before she had gone to bed. He wondered what she had to smile about. Probably more than me, he thought bitterly. He was dying to ask her all sorts of things that he shouldn’t even be concerned with. Of course, knowing that Potter was meeting with Dumbledore about Voldemort wasn’t really all that surprising. However, one thought kept running through his mind even though it shouldn’t. Why Weasly? He wasn’t sure why he cared, but it had evoked some strange feeling to see her agony over the red headed moron. He was quite glad he didn’t have to look at her two guard dogs for the rest of the week.

His mind drifted over to darker thoughts. He knew that she knew what he had to do. Quite frankly, he was both surprised and elated that she hadn’t broached the topic, although he knew her mind was reeling over it. He could see the cogs practically smoking when she glanced over at him. He couldn’t do anything about it. He was stuck. Damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. What he did want to know more about was their plan to take the dark bastard down. He’d rerun that memory over and over in his head. There had to be a way to destroy him. However, Draco knew he didn’t have a chance in hell at redemption. Even if he joined the Order, they’d never accept him. Resigning himself to his dastardly fate, he drifted off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Pomfrey came bustling in. She set about examining the students before she allowed them to have their breakfast. She declared that they would be released that night and ready to return to class the following Monday. It was Saturday, which meant that they would have enough time to turn in all their previous homework to the teachers and settle back into their dorms before they had to return to class that Monday. They also had to visit the Headmaster’s office before they returned to their dormitories.

Hermione didn’t want to admit it even to herself, but she was very apprehensive about returning. She missed her friends dearly and being unable to see them had made her miss them all the more. However, she was a tiny bit glad that she didn’t have to face them. Her heart still ached when she thought about Ron. Merlin help her, but she still loved him. She still wanted him to love her the same way. At night, she’d dream about him. He’d push Lavender away and take her into his arms. He’d kiss her passionately and they’d become the happy couple she’d always dreamed of. Then she’d wake up and come to the realization that once again, it was just a silly dream.

Harry also came to her mind. She knew that he had to face Voldemort by himself and the thought made her sad. He shouldn’t have to go it alone and she was determined to help him. Even though Dumbledore was there to guide him, she knew that if Malfoy were successful, he wouldn’t be there forever. She would also have to keep up her lie and Harry was always good at seeing right through her. She couldn’t avoid him but she had to figure out a way for them to avoid the topic of Malfoy and especially Malfoy being a Death Eater.

Finally, she thought about Ginny. She knew she couldn’t tell her best girlfriend anything, but somehow she just knew that she was her best bet at acceptance. They’d used each other as a sounding board for years. If there was one person who she could unload on and trust to keep her secrets, it was Ginny. Of course, she returned the favor ten-fold. Ginny would pour her heart out over the fact that she still loved Harry and was in despair that he’d never return her feelings. Hermione picked at her breakfast as she mulled over her thoughts.

Draco’s mind wasn’t in any better shape. He didn’t want to return to his house. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get out of the hospital wing; it was that he didn’t want to face Pansy. Every time she hung on him, spoke in her shrill voice, claimed him aloud for everyone to hear, it made his stomach churn. She sickened him and he couldn’t bear the thought of being stuck with her for the rest of his life. He couldn’t even push her off on one of the other blokes. It seemed that since the Dark Lord had made her his, she had become a one-man woman. He almost threw up at the thought.

Then there were his tasks to consider. Being in the hospital wing for a few weeks had seriously put him behind on his repairs to the vanishing cabinet. He still didn’t know how to fix it, but he was steadily chipping away at it before he ran into Granger. This thought angered him. Now that Granger knew his secret, he knew she would be relentless in trying to stop him. At least she couldn’t involve her guard dogs or tell anyone what he was up to.

He almost wished she could. Almost. He desperately wanted to get out of having to kill the Headmaster. The doddering old fool seemed to be all knowing and his compassion served only to anger Draco further. What good is compassion when his entire following hated Draco with a passion? There would be no mercy from them. They wouldn’t see a scared boy thrown into an impossible situation with no choices. They would see a Death Eater; the son of another Death Eater who was the supposed right hand man of the Dark Lord, who was destined to become the enemy. They wouldn’t see his mother, bound and broken on the floor, bleeding for daring to try to protect her son. They wouldn’t see that he didn’t want to be under the Dark Lord’s rule.

Finally, his thoughts wandered to Snape. His godfather had constantly been on him this year, begging to let him help. However, the Dark Lord had forbid it. He specifically said that Draco was to complete the task alone. His wondered if his godfather was really on the light side. He had a suspicion that he was, the way he constantly threw in hints that Draco did have a choice. He couldn’t take that risk though. If he were to reveal that he wanted to change and Snape was really the Dark Lord’s minion, he would turn him over in a heartbeat. He was alone. With this thought, he pushed away his breakfast and went back to sleep.

Hermione was shocked that Malfoy had deviated from their monotonous schedule. She wondered why he would go back to sleep. He seemed to have such trouble sleeping without the draught. Then again, so did she. Could he be having second thoughts on his tasks? Could she get through to him and make him see that she could help him? Perhaps she could hint to Dumbledore that all was not as it seemed. Sighing, she got off the bed and picked up all her school supplies, stuffing them into her overflowing bag. She had finished her homework yesterday and now she grabbed her book of Shakespeare and sat down to read.

A few hours later, Draco awoke, feeling groggy. He silently gathered his schoolwork and neatly placed it into his school bag. Then he got out the book he’d hated since the day the Dark Lord had given it to him and got to work looking up ways to mend the cabinet.

Before they knew it, the end of the day had come and Poppy dismissed them. In silent synchronization, they got up, grabbed their bags, and made their way to the door. Then they remembered the piece of paper Dumbledore had given them when they had first woke up. The pieces of paper were blank except for one sentence: Read when you are dismissed. Grabbing it out of their pockets, they started to read:

Now that you have been released, please make sure to get your wands from Madam Pomfrey. Mustn’t leave those! Also, this paper will serve as your excuse for being out past curfew. Please come to my office immediately after you are released. Welcome back.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

They went to Madam Pomfrey’s office and waited as she retrieved their wands. Then the two started a slow trek to the Headmaster’s office. When they reached the stone gargoyle, they spoke the password ‘jelly beans’ and waited as the staircase spiraled around. Simultaneously, they walked up the stairs in silence and knocked on the door.

“Enter,” Dumbledore called from the office. Fawkes was sitting on his desk, staring at the two intently. They slowly walked in and sat in the two plush chairs directly across from his desk. They were completely silent.

“I have gathered from your previous statements that you were somehow attacked, dragged into the bathroom, and then locked in. Do you remember what happened while you were in there?”

“No,” They both answered.

Dumbledore cocked his head in amusement. “There was a magical signature left in the bathroom. Although Myrtle couldn’t tell us what happened, it revealed a rather intense battle. Are you sure you don’t remember anything?”

“Yes,” they answered once again in sync.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with the wand oath you both took, does it?” Dumbledore inquired, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

Draco and Hermione looked up wide-eyed at Dumbledore and then at each other. They looked back at him and said, “I don’t remember an oath.”

Dumbledore sat back and clasped his hands together. He studied the pair for a few minutes. The both were looking down at their hands. Their eyes strayed for a moment to catch each other’s eye, look up and him, and then back to their hands. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they had planned and practiced for years to match. This made him even more suspicious of a mind connection, as it appeared that the two were quite unaware of their mimicked movements. He decided to let them go. Further observation would tell the tale. He just hoped no one else noticed.

“Ok then. Since it seems that neither one of you remember anything, you may return to your dormitories. Please turn your homework in first thing in the morning and then enjoy the rest of the day catching up with your friends.”

Draco and Hermione stood slowly, nodded their heads toward their Headmaster, and then silently walked out of the office. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they turned toward each other and looked into each other’s eyes intently. Neither knew what was going on. It felt as if they were in a dense fog. Suddenly, two male voices could be heard whispering down the hall.

“Hermione! You’re back!”

Hermione whipped around but couldn’t see anyone. The fog lifted from her brain and she realized that she had been staring at Malfoy. She glanced back over at him. He seemed to come out of the fog as well, for he had a sneer upon his face. He started to take a step away, stopped, turned, and cocked his head towards her.

“Nothing happened. Tomorrow will be like it was before.” He turned and stormed off to the Slytherin dungeons.

Hermione didn’t need clarification on his meanings. They had discussed this in their minds many times in between trying to gain their senses. Tomorrow, she would wake up and be a pathetic little mudblood carrying around a torch for her best friend who was oblivious. She would be the know-it-all again. Nothing would change. Malfoy would still be the pompous pureblood prat, a devious and evil ferret whose sole purpose in life was to make her miserable.

Too bad things had changed. She knew Malfoy had to murder Dumbledore. She knew he was going to let the Death Eaters into the school. He knew she was helping Harry with Dumbledore’s plan to defeat Voldemort. The both knew that occlumency was going to be their best friend now. What she didn’t know was how she was going to warn the Headmaster and the entire school of their impending doom without breaking her oath. She figured Malfoy was in the same boat. He couldn’t tell his master that Harry Potter was getting history lessons on Tom Riddle and plotting with Dumbledore to finish him. At least they couldn’t hinder each other, but that didn’t make her feel any less apprehensive.

She turned and walked toward the Gryffindor tower, fully aware that her two best friends were under Harry’s invisibility cloak and coming up right behind her. She raised her voice slightly above a whisper and said, “I’m glad Dumbledore gave me permission to be out after curfew. I’d hate to find out what Filch would have in store for me if I didn’t.”

Harry and Ron grinned at each other. She was still their ‘Mione. She was looking out for them while still chastising them for breaking the rules. They could breathe a little easier. They were afraid that after the obvious fight she had with Malfoy, that she would be different. They couldn’t bear to think what that bastard had done to her. However, they were proud to see that Malfoy was just as beat up as she was. Maybe she could shed some light on what really happened in that bathroom, and then they could punish whoever did this to her.

Hermione was no fool. She knew she would be questioned as soon as they got into the common room. She was in no mood to be questioned though. Her oath with Malfoy prevented her from saying anything about the matter, and the most they had agreed to say was that someone attacked them from behind, dragged them into the bathroom, and then the world went dark. She knew they would see right through her story, but she really couldn’t say anything different on the matter. All she knew at this moment was that her head was really starting to hurt. She wondered if she should make a detour to Madam Pomfrey for some headache potion, but she really wasn’t ready to return to the infirmary.

They arrived at the Fat Lady’s painting and she said their old password, Victory. The Fat Lady had a sad look in her eye and said, “I’m sorry miss, but that isn’t the password any longer.” Harry brought his head out from the cloak and said “Weasley is our King” and the portrait sprung open. Hermione stifled a snort until they were in the common room. She couldn’t help but get a case of the giggles.

“Weasley is our King, eh?”

Harry threw off the cloak and Ron was blushing. “We figured that we would get the last laugh.” He broke out into a large grin and ran to hug her. Ron held back and looked everywhere but at the two.

Harry said, “We are really happy that you are back, ‘Mione. Well, sit down and tell us what really happened. We know you didn’t just faint in the bathroom. Although, the thought of Malfoy fainting is absolutely brilliant!”

“Oh, Harry. I really don’t know what happened. I was walking down the corridor, playing with my canaries.”

Ron visibly flinched and then looked down as though his shoes were the most fascinating things in the room.

“All the sudden, I heard someone throw a hex me. I couldn’t see anything. They beat me up and petrified me and dragged me in the bathroom. When I could see, I noticed they put me beside Malfoy, and then the room went dark. The next thing I know, I woke up in the infirmary and saw you leaning over my cot.”

Harry stared at her with a look of disbelief on his face. Even Ron broke his concentration from his shoes and gave her a look that said ‘yea right’. Tears sprung to her eyes and she buried her head in her hands.

“I-I- I’m sorry I can’t remember anything else,” she cried and then ran up to her room. She ran to her bed, drew the curtains, and changed into her pajamas. Then she dove under the covers and cried into her pillow. She didn’t trust herself to be able to put up a silencing charm, remembering what happened in Myrtle’s bathroom. Her head was pounding and she was upset that she couldn’t ever tell anyone the truth. Finally, she cried herself to sleep and settled in for a restless night.

Draco was beyond angry. He wanted to discuss everything with Granger one last time before they went their separate ways. He knew she was a bad liar and he wanted to make sure there were no holes in their explanations. He wasn’t sure why they stared into each other’s eyes for so long. It was almost as if fog had settled in their brains and her eyes were the only thing that brought him clarity. He could have hexed someone when he heard her boyfriends call out to her. Still, just to make sure, he leaned in and told her nothing would change. He hoped she knew exactly what that meant.

He stalked toward the dungeons and realized that he was slowly getting a terrible headache. He briefly thought about going to Madam Pomfrey for some headache potion, but thought he’d rather not return there tonight. No telling how long that old bat would keep him there if he went back. He entered the Slytherin common room to see Pansy sprawled out on the couch in nothing but her knickers. He cringed.

“Drakey-poo!” she screeched. “I heard you were released. I was waiting for you.” She slunk off the couch and crawled over to him, where she slowly rubbed up his legs as she stood.

He wanted to throw up. They had been friends at one time, but now she was nothing but a power-hungry slag. He knew that the Dark Lord promised her to him, but he wanted nothing more than to smother her with a pillow while she slept. He pushed her off of him and tried to walk up the stairs to his room.

“Drakey, what’s wrong? You’ve been gone so long, I thought I would give you a present.”

He blanched and turned toward her. “Look Pans, I still don’t feel well. I’d rather just go to bed. Why don’t you do the same?”

Pansy humphed. “Fine, but at least tell me what really happened. I know my big brave Drakey-poo didn’t just faint in the bathroom next to that filthy mudblood. I’d probably feel nauseous if she was lying next to me too though.”

Draco took a deep breath. He didn’t know why he was so angered at what Pansy had said. Granger was a filthy mudblood, but spending time with her, if only in his mind and their silent hospital stay, had forced him to re-think his opinion of her. She was bloody brilliant and not nearly as nasty as he had thought at first. Besides, he had seen her bleed. Her blood was as red as his was. He remembered how it mixed with his on the floor and he couldn’t tell the difference between the two. He figured the easiest way to get rid of Pansy was to tell her the little tale he and Granger had decided upon.

“Pansy, all I know is that I was walking down the hall when someone hexed me from behind. I couldn’t see anything but they beat me up, petrified me, and dragged me in the bathroom. My eyesight was restored and I saw Granger laying there and then everything went dark. The next thing I remember is waking up hearing Potter screeching like a girl.”

Pansy looked a little green with that last comment, but nodded her head and turned toward the girls’ rooms. He hurried to his room, (Malfoy’s don’t run) and stripped to his boxers. He then drew the curtains around the bed and buried his head in the pillow. His head hurt so bad he could barely see straight. He finally drifted off into an uneasy slumber.
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