Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Songs of Regret	By : RavieSnake Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 76454 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 17
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from it. I also hold no rights to any of the songs mentioned. I make no money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 26
- 27
- 28
“This has to be wrong,” Ron insisted for the tenth time as he read over the prefect schedule. “It has to be.”
Hermione frowned a little at Ron, but let it turn-up into a small smile as she too looked down at her copy of the schedule. Draco had gotten his wish about them being paired for patrols. They had the latest shift together on Tuesday and Thursday nights; a fact that was not sitting well with Ron.
“Why does it have to be wrong? I don’t see why you’re so upset about being paired with Padma,” Hermione said casually as she leaned back in the armchair she’d secured near the fire and folded her schedule. Ron frowned at her.
“It’s not my pair that’s wrong, it’s yours. You got paired with bloody Malfoy…again. Honestly, Mione, how are you not…” he stopped his thought at Hermione’s eye roll and his frown turned into a sneer.
“Oh…I forgot,” Ron said in an all too sweet voice, “You are sucking his…”
“Ron…” Harry tried to interrupt, but Hermione’s laugh silenced both of them. The boys watched her curiously as she grabbed her stomach and threw back her head with a great cackle. Hermione was cackling.
“What did you two do to her,” Ginny asked loudly as she immerged from the stairwell to the girls’ dorms. Harry rose from his seat and crossed the room to his girlfriend. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.
“Good morning,” Harry murmured to her. She hummed appreciatively but then looked over his shoulder toward her scowling brother and laughing friend. Harry turned to look as well and shook his head.
“We didn’t do anything,” Harry whispered out the side of his mouth to answer her question. “They’re just at it again,” he added with an exhausted shrug. Ginny pursed her lips.
“What started it this time?” she asked tiredly.
“Hermione got paired with Malfoy for prefect patrols, and Ron is upset that she’s not upset. He’s still brassed off at the idea that she could love a Slytherin.”
Ginny twisted her mouth and looked sideways at Harry. “She loves Malfoy?”
Harry spluttered and choked on his own saliva at the unexpected and absurd question. “No!” he answered a little too loudly. He looked at Ginny with amused disbelief. “Mr. Perfect is a Slytherin…or at least we’re pretty sure that he is.”
“Mmm,” Ginny replied as she narrowed her eyes at Hermione. “Yes, we’ve all discussed that.”
Harry suddenly looked serious. “Yes…and you and I already discussed last night why she’s keeping him a secret.”
“Because Professor Dumbledore said he’s important,” Ginny said with a sigh.
“Important enough to set-up a fake class to make sure she can learn Occlumency to keep his identity safe,” Harry whispered gravely. He let out a shaky sigh. “Dumbledore said he’d help bring down You-Know-Who, so he must be a good guy…Slytherin or otherwise.”
“Hey! If you two are done having your little morning meeting, I’d like to get down to meet Suz for breakfast,” Ron called irritably, still looking sour-faced at Hermione as she double-checked the contents of her book bag for the day with a lingering smile.
With a last heavy glance at each other, Ginny and Harry walked over to join Ron and Hermione near the fireplace.
“Why don’t you boys head down,” Ginny said lightly as she came-up beside Hermione’s chair.
“You’re not coming?” Ron asked as he closed his own bag.
“We’ll be right down,” Ginny answered. “Just want to talk to Hermione about something…girl stuff.”
Ron shuddered but Harry narrowed his eyes a little and looked between Ginny and Hermione. He raised an eyebrow, and Ginny shook her head ever so slightly. Harry gave her a significant look, but nudged Ron in the shoulder.
“Come on,” he said as he grabbed his bag from the chair next to him and headed for the portrait hole. Ron huffed and picked-up his own bag and left without a look back.
Ginny watched the two leave and when the portrait swung closed, she plopped down in the chair that her brother had occupied moments earlier and set her bag on the floor. She glanced around the common room.
“Oi, beat it you two,” she snapped at two straggling first years hovering hear the exit. The young girls squeaked in surprise and made a hasty exit as Ginny turned her face to the woman across from her.
There was a brief tense silence as they sat and stared at each other. Hermione cleared her throat.
“So…what is it you wanted to talk about?” she asked easily. She was impressed with the steadiness in her voice. She knew what was coming. She knew what Ginny was about to ask. She had been dreading this, but now that it was about to happen, Hermione felt surprisingly calm.
“You didn’t do the hair charm today,” Ginny commented after only a moment’s pause. Hermione furrowed her brow a little. That was not what she was expecting.
“Um…no, I didn’t. The spell’s a bit of a pain, besides I think I like it better natural,” Hermione answered with a small laugh and a tug to one of her bouncy chestnut locks.
“Does Malfoy like it better natural?” And there it was.
Hermione’s heart skipped a beat, but she gave Ginny what she hoped was a genuinely confused look. “How would I know what Malfoy likes?”
“I should hope you know what he likes after two months with him,” Ginny said, crossing her arms.
Hermione gave a nervous chuckle. “I don’t know what you think you…” she started before Ginny reached into her pocket and then thrust the parchment with Draco’s Arithmancy numbers out in front of her. Hermione blinked at the page for only a moment before she let a small smile creep onto her face.
“I wondered where that went,” she said casually as she reached forward and took the page from the narrow-eyed ginger.
“So you don’t deny that this is yours?” Ginny asked, slightly thrown by Hermione’s easy response.
“Why would I deny it? When Harry started all that nonsense about Malfoy being a Death Eater, I thought it prudent to run his numbers…see if he really was capable of being that evil.” Hermione perused the parchment idly and tilted her head. “The numbers weren’t really all that surprising, but alas…Malfoy’s not evil. Just a git.”
Hermione looked back up at Ginny to see her staring back at her skeptically. The brunette laughed again.
“Wait…did you think…did you think Mr. Perfect was Malfoy?” Hermione asked with incredulous amusement. She waved the parchment. “Because of this?”
Ginny was not amused. “No,” she answered firmly. “I think it’s Malfoy for all of the other reasons.”
Hermione leaned back in her chair. “Oh, what reasons would those be?” she asked calmly, belying the panic she was beginning to feel. Ginny leaned back in her own chair and gave Hermione a hard stare.
“He likes Quidditch,” she said as she held-up a finger to demonstrate that it was reason number one.
“Many people like…”
“He smells like sandalwood,” Ginny re-interrupted loudly, holding up another finger. Hermione closed her mouth and just stared as Ginny continued to raise her fingers.
“He is smart, he has an arrow patch sewn onto his book bag, he’s arrogant, he’s good-looking, he’s a pureblood, his family is prejudiced, he sat by you on purpose, he gagged when Pansy kissed him.”
Hermione took a deep breath when Ginny finally paused -- her ten fingers in the air. “Is that all,” she asked the redhead challengingly. Ginny gave her a sorry smile and lowered her hands.
“No. The real reason I know he’s Malfoy is because you touch your locket whenever anyone mentions him.”
Hermione paled as she looked down at her hand clasped around the offending locket at that very moment. She hadn’t even realized that she’d moved her hand to grab it. Hermione swallowed uncomfortably and slowly looked back up to meet Ginny’s gaze. Ginny went to speak again and Hermione raised her hand quickly.
“Wait,” she said harshly. A flash of impatience crossed Ginny’s face until she saw Hermione reach for her wand. A swift flick of it had them both surrounded in a strong soundproof bubble. Hermione stashed her wand away and then scooted to the edge of her chair and looked Ginny directly in the eyes.
“I need you to understand something very important before another word is said about Mr. Perfect,” she said in a whisper despite the spell. Ginny scooted forward and nodded silently. Hermione inhaled and then exhaled deeply.
“Last night, Harry and I told you all that we were learning Occlumency,” she said softly. She paused and waited until Ginny nodded again. “Did Harry tell you why?”
Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment. “Because he needs to block his connection with You-Know-Who,” she half answered.
Hermione swallowed again. “I know that Professor Dumbledore told Harry the reason why I’m taking it as well. Did Harry tell you that too?”
Ginny looked guilty for a moment and then nodded before answering, “You need to be able to keep Mr. Perfect’s identity a secret.”
Hermione nodded this time. She looked at the floor and bit her lip. “Gin…I understand your reasons for wanting to know. I get it. You don’t want me to be left out. You don’t want me to have to sneak around and lie and be lonely, and for that you are a wonderful friend. And it is a testament to your loyalty to me that you didn't outright disown me as a friend under the assumption you’ve already made. But, if you truly understood the danger of our situation, you never would have even tried to guess his name. I would rather be apart from him and know he’s safe than bring him close and risk our lives.”
A look of mild shock flashed across Ginny's face. Hermione nodded grimly.
“This is life and death, Gin. I am not exaggerating. If I confirm to you who Mr. Perfect is you will have to agree to a vow of secrecy. You cannot tell anyone. Not Susan, not Ron, not even Harry…most especially not Harry.”
Hermione eyed Ginny harshly. “Are you willing to lie consistently to everyone you love?”
Ginny searched Hermione’s face and then turned her gaze to the floor in thought. She furrowed her brow, but looked back up at Hermione.
“Yes. I will take the vow. I don’t want you suffering through this alone anymore. Who is he?”
Hermione gave her a small but genuine smile and pulled her wand back out. “Vow first.”
Ginny immediately held out her hand and Hermione leaned forward, clasped it in her own and waved her wand over them as she spoke.
“Do you, Ginevra Weasley, vow to keep secret the true identity of the one known as Mr. Perfect?”
“I do.”
A small swirling light wrapped around the women’s hands and then faded away. Hermione let go of Ginny’s hand and sat back a little, but Ginny scooted even more forward.
“Okay. Now spill,” she demanded with an eager expression. Hermione chuckled.
“I can’t just spill, Gin. He and I took a vow as well. He only gave me permission to confirm his identity if you guess it correctly.”
Ginny looked a bit annoyed but smiled. “Okay…is Mr. Perfect Draco Malfoy?”
Hermione shrugged. “That was a question…not a guess.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “All right then…I guess that Mr. Perfect is Draco Malfoy.”
Hermione bit her lip and nodded. “You guess correctly.”
“I KNEW IT!” Ginny bellowed excitedly as she jumped up from the chair, “I knew it.” She looked down at Hermione. “Oh my gods…Draco Malfoy, Hermione!? Draco Malfoy…I mean I was pretty sure, but to actually know…” she shook her head and paced around. “Draco Malfoy!? Holy shite…”
Hermione laughed nervously. “Yes…holy shite.”
Ginny stopped her excited pacing and plopped back down on the very edge of the chair. “Really? It’s really Malfoy? For real?”
“For heaven’s sake, yes,” Hermione laughed again.
“How? How? Draco Malfoy…” Ginny was shaking her head. “Oh my gods, Hermione! You had sex with Draco Malfoy!!?”
“Many times,” Hermione confirmed airily. Ginny nearly exploded in giddy excitement.
“Tell me how.”
“Well, you see when a man and a woman…”
Ginny smacked Hermione hard in her upper arm. “No! Obviously I know how that works. How did you two end up together?”
Hermione rubbed her arm and twisted her mouth. “I can’t really tell you that, Gin.”
“The vow?” Ginny pouted. Hermione shrugged.
“Something like that.”
“Well, however it came about...wow. Draco Malfoy…”Ginny said breathily. “And he’s…he’s good to you?”
“Yes,” Hermione sighed. She looked dreamily at the carpet. “There is so much more to him than the cocky persona he struts around with. But, Merlin help me, I even love that about him.”
When Ginny didn’t respond, Hermione looked back up to see her still shaking her head slightly. “Gin, why do you keep shaking your head?”
Ginny looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to. It’s just…Draco Malfoy… It’s hard to take in. He’s…he’s been horrible to you for years. He called you a filthy Mudblood as you got on the train home just last term!”
Hermione gave her a tired smile. “An act. He hasn’t meant anything nasty he’s said to me since fourth year.”
“But why continue the ruse? Doesn’t it bother you when he says those things?”
“It feels horrible, Gin, but we have no choice. It’s pretend to hate each other or die.”
“But why?” Ginny pleaded, “Why is this so serious? I can’t believe that the Malfoys would kill their only heir just because of you. Why is this life and death?”
Hermione sighed. “I can’t tell you, but trust me when I say it wouldn’t be the Malfoys that would kill him.”
Ginny swallowed hard. “You-Know-Who?”
Hermione’s lip trembled and she buried her face in her hands. Her body shook with silent sobs as Ginny went to her and yanked her up into a tight hug.
“Sshh, sshh,” Ginny hushed into her friend’s ear as she rubbed a hand up and down her back. “I’m so sorry, Hermione.”
“He’s not like everyone thinks. Draco...he’s…he’s…he’s not evil,” Hermione blubbered into her friend’s shoulder. “I love him, Gin. I love him so bloody much it…it hurts.”
“I know, I know,” Ginny soothed.
“But…but everyone else hates him; thinks…thinks the worst…worst of him,” Hermione hiccupped miserably.
Ginny shook her head. “Not everyone.”
“Ron...Ron and Harry do.”
“Yes…yes they do,” Ginny conceded, pulling back a bit to look Hermione in the face. “But they love you.”
Hermione sniffled and pulled free of Ginny’s arms. “I doubt they still will once they find out. Look at how Ron’s been acting just thinking that Mr. Perfect is a Slytherin. Imagine what he’ll say when he finds out he’s the goddamn Prince of Slytherin.”
“What Ron says doesn’t matter,” Ginny sniffed. “He’ll just have to get over it.”
“And Harry?” Hermione asked glumly as she pulled out Draco’s handkerchief to wipe her face. Ginny furrowed her brow a little.
“You are like his sister, Hermione. Harry will be more worried and protective than angry. And no matter how upset he might get, he’d never turn his back on his family.”
Hermione smiled weakly at her friend and nodded. She knew Harry’s loyalty to family. He’d even been worried about the Dursleys being relocated safely during the war, and they’d been outright nasty to him his entire life. But would that same sense of loyalty see her relationship with Draco as a betrayal?
“Trust me,” Ginny said surely at Hermione’s sudden grimace, “Everything will turn out fine in the end.”
“I hope so,” Hermione said softly. Ginny pulled her in for another hug.
“It will, I promise.”
“Thank you, Gin,” Hermione said as she pulled away from their embrace.
Ginny simply nodded. She reached down for her book bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Shall we head down then?”
“Yeah, we better,” Hermione sighed. “I don’t want Draco panicking if I don’t show-up to breakfast. In fact…I better check if he’s already down.” She reached into her pocket for her mirror. Ginny watched as Hermione looked into the small glass and smiled. The brunette looked back up and stepped next to the redhead and leaned her head towards hers.
“Say hello to Mr. Perfect, Gin,” Hermione said blithely, holding up her mirror to face them both. Ginny looked into the mirror and couldn’t help but gasp. Sure enough…there, in all his Slytherin glory with his trademark smirk set in place and platinum hair gleaming, was Draco Malfoy.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione tapped her fingers impatiently on the table in front of her. He was late. Their first patrol together and he was late. She glanced up at the clock on the far side of the empty Great Hall and frowned. Twenty minutes late. Removing her hand from the table she got out her mirror and frowned even deeper at its black image. With a huff, Hermione shoved the mirror back in her pocket.
“Five more minutes,” she said irritably to herself, “Five more minutes and then I’m starting without him.”
Hermione stood from the table and stretched before walking idly around the Great Hall. She turned her face to the ceiling to observe the sparkling stars against the clear night sky as she walked and sighed at the constellation she’d watched all summer. A pang of worry stung her chest and she looked back at the clock and then the door. Where was he?
There was a sudden clinking sound and Hermione swiveled around to see several rubies floating upwards into the top of the Gryffindor house point hourglass. Hermione narrowed her eyes at the four hourglasses and made her way over to stand before them. Just as she came up to them several yellow jewels within the Hufflepuff hourglass tinkled up the side and into the top. Hermione laughed silently at the receding gems. Who could possibly be losing all these points this late at night, and this early in the school year?
Hermione tilted her head as she admired the glittering stones within the hourglasses. She’d never realized just how beautiful they were, nor considered just how valuable they must be. All those rubies, sapphires, emeralds… She reached out her hand toward the Slytherin hourglass.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Granger.”
Hermione jumped and whirled around to see Draco standing in the doorway.
“You scared me,” Hermione puffed. Draco simply smirked and walked toward her.
“It’s against the rules to touch the house point hourglasses, you know,” he said pompously. “I’d hate to have to give you a detention.”
Hermione ignored the burn in her core and rolled her eyes. “Yes, because you’re one for always following the rules, Mr. Twenty-three-minutes-late.”
Draco shrugged and with a quick glance around stepped into her and planted a kiss to her cheek.
“Miss me, princess?” he murmured against her.
Hermione smiled but pushed at him. “Knock it off. Why are you so late? I was getting worried.”
“Sorry,” Draco sighed, taking a step back. “I was so close to finishing that wretched essay for McGonagall that I didn’t want to leave it. I didn’t think it would take another fifteen minutes.” He shook his head slightly, “I must confess I’m finding myself a bit out-of-practice at this whole homework thing again.”
“I finished that essay hours ago,” Hermione gloated teasingly.
“Yeah, well you’ve never stopped being an insufferable swot to fall out-of-practice, so I’m not surprised,” he countered with a smile. Hermione swiped at him and Draco jumped back with a laugh.
“Let’s save the spanking for Saturday,” he said playfully.
“Merlin almighty, will you stop? You’re going to make me project,” Hermione said, crossing her arms with a huff. “And you said you only stayed fifteen minutes late… what about the rest of the time, hmm? It doesn’t take eight minutes to get here from the Slytherin common room.”
Draco smiled wickedly. “It does when you catch Longbottom and Abbott snogging in an alcove on the way.” He waggled his eyebrows and Hermione choked out a laugh.
“Well that explains the lost points,” she said with another glance back at the hourglasses.
“So…Care to see who else we can catch in a compromising position, milady?” Draco asked with a gentlemanly bow.
“Ready whenever you are, milord.”
“I’ve told you, Granger…I’m al…”
“Always ready. I know, I know,” she chuckled.
“Damn right you know it,” Draco smirked. Hermione clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes again before sauntering off toward the door. Draco stood there and growled quietly as he watched her walk.
“Nice arse, Granger,” he called out as she reached the doorway. He chuckled when he saw her shake her head.
“Are you coming?” she called out in feigned irritation without looking back. Draco jogged to her side.
“I wish,” he whispered with a nudge to her shoulder.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Hermione groaned. “Will. You. Stop?”
“Never. Now…scowls on, love,” Draco replied with a final grin before schooling his features into an annoyed sneer. Hermione furrowed her brow back at him and rubbed her finger down her nose. Draco tugged his ear and the two stepped out of the Great Hall to begin their patrol.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“I think I’m gonna head up to bed, babe,” Ginny yawned from her seat on the common room floor. Harry yawned right after her and nodded.
“Yeah, I think I’m about to head up myself,” he answered, rubbing a hand down his face. “I’m bushed.”
Ginny collected up the parchment and books she was using for her homework and then stretched tiredly as she stood. She leaned over and kissed Harry chastely.
“G’night,” she said softly.
“Night, Gin,” he replied with a smile as she turned toward her dorm.
“Good night, Ronald,” Ginny called over her shoulder as she started up the stairs.
“G’night!” Ron called loudly after her. He narrowed his eyes at the stairs as she disappeared up them and then sighed. “Finally!” He smacked Harry hard in the shoulder, jolting him from the tiny snooze he’d already fallen into in his chair.
“Whazzat? What the hell?” Harry groused groggily as he massaged his shoulder.
“Come on,” Ron urged, “Go get it.”
“Get what? What are you on about?”
“Your cloak.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “Ron, mate…we already talked about this. We are not going down to spy on Hermione during her patrol. She’ll be fine.”
“I don’t trust that ferret,” Ron snarled. Harry exhaled deeply.
“Neither do I, but she’d never trust us again if she found out we followed her. I’m sure she can take care of herself,” he replied seriously. “Besides, I’m so tired I don’t think I’d make it down the first flight of steps.” He yawned again and heaved himself from the chair. “I’m headin’ up.”
“Fiiine,” Ron pouted dramatically as he closed his book and got up. He followed Harry up the stairs to their dorm and once inside plopped down on the edge of his bed. The two both quickly changed into their pajamas silently so as not to wake Seamus and Dean who were already asleep (Neville’s bed curiously vacant) and then crawled under their covers.
“Night,” Harry whispered sleepily, snuggling down without even bothering to pull his bed curtains closed.
“Night, Harry,” Ron whispered back. He lay silent in the darkness for a few minutes before lifting his head to squint at Harry’s bed. When it was clear from the steady rise and fall of Harry’s form that he was asleep, Ron flung his covers off and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He tiptoed over to Harry’s trunk and quietly lifted the lid just enough to reach inside and pull free from it one watery smooth Cloak of Invisibility.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m still not sure I’m happy that she knows,” Hermione whispered as she followed Draco down the next corridor on the patrol route.
“You had her take a vow, did you not?” he said over his shoulder. She shrugged.
“Yes, but I don’t like that she has to lie to Harry. And frankly, I’m a little disturbed that she was so quick to agree to lie to him. But mostly I’m afraid of what he’ll do when he finds out the truth and learns that she knew.”
“Well, I don’t think he’ll have to wait too long,” Draco whispered significantly. Hermione’s eyes widened.
“We’ve only had one lesson,” she hissed back.
“Yes, and I can already tell that if he puts forth the effort, he’ll pick it up quickly once he gets all the basics down. Loathe as I am to admit it, Potter has a very strong mind. Sev was the sole cause of his failure last time,” Draco said with a slight shake of his head.
“Were the lessons he gave him really that bad?” Hermione asked curiously.
Draco scoffed and nodded. “He basically just shouted at him and assaulted his psyche. He hit Potter with a full force Legilimens before explaining anything of use and then berated him when he collapsed under the stress of it. It’s little wonder why Potter hates him.”
“Well I think…” Hermione started to respond, but suddenly went quiet.
“What’s…”
“Sshh!” Hermione commanded, throwing up a hand to cut Draco off from his inquiry into her silence. “I thought I heard something,” she hissed to him. She pulled out her wand and took several steps forward past Draco and narrowed her eyes down the hall.
“Do you see anyone?” Draco whispered. Hermione shook her head and took another step forward. Draco strode to her side.
“It was probably just one of the portraits,” he said as he looked down the hall towards a small cluster of frames. Hermione looked at him and frowned.
“Why are you not more eager to investigate? I thought you were all for catching someone in a ‘compromising position’,” she said in a poorly done imitation of Draco’s voice. He laughed.
“I’d like to get into a compromising position with you, Granger,” he leered. There was a sudden angry muttering from down the hall and Draco and Hermione both snapped their heads towards it only to see a pale green jet of light hurtle at them. It struck Draco directly in the stomach, forcing him backwards, but he remained on his feet.
“Draco!” Hermione shouted, turning back and rushing to his side.
Draco gagged loudly and began to choke. He bent over quickly as his body heaved fiercely.
“Draco, what’s wrong!?”
He gagged again and tried to speak, “I…glaghh…”
A nasty gurgling sound escaped his throat as a large brown slug slithered over Draco’s tongue, past his perfectly white teeth and onto the cold stone floor at his feet.
The moment the slimy thing hit the floor, Hermione knew what was happening. Valiantly tamping down the intense rage she felt ready to consume her, she bent over and smacked Draco’s back.
“Are you okay…can you breathe all right?”
Draco opened his mouth to answer only to have another slug wriggle out. He coughed and then spat out a mouthful of slime and several more smaller slugs.
“Son of a bitch,” he managed to choke out, grabbing a hand to his churning stomach. He tried to stand back upright, but lurched forward and fell to his knees with another retching gag. He wheezed as two more slugs came forth. Hermione gave him another hard pat on the back.
“Can you breathe?” she repeated anxiously. Draco retched again, but nodded. Hermione stood up straight and glared at the seemingly empty hall.
“Ronald Bilius Weasley!” she shouted angrily. “Show yourself this instant!”
Only the sound of Draco’s gurgling answered her demand. Hermione thrust out her wand. “Homenum Revelio!”
As soon as the spell left her lips, a glowing orange orb appeared only a few meters down the hall and hovered in place. Hermione immediately pointed her wand at the spot below it and began to sprint towards it.
“Shite!” The sound of hastily retreating footsteps followed Ron’s muttered curse and Hermione growled loudly.
“Oh no you fucking don’t! Petrificus Totalus!” she slashed her wand viciously through the air and a moment later the thud of a body connecting with the floor joined the echo of an f-sharp from a piano. Hermione pounced on the space below the still glowing orb and, feeling the slippery fabric of Harry’s cloak, yanked it off of Ron’s frozen form. She dropped her wand and balled her fists as tight as she could.
“You. Foul. Stupid. Jealous. Git!” she raged; angry piano notes sounding as she punctuated each word with a punch to Ron’s shocked-looking face. She grabbed hold of his shirt collar and proceeded to lift and then slam his shoulders into the floor. “What the hell is your problem!? You are such…”
Her outburst was cut short by the sound of Draco falling over and slapping his hands on the floor. Hermione looked over at him to see him staring at her with wide panicked eyes. He moved a hand to his throat and made the universal choking signal.
“Oh gods,” Hermione breathed. She released Ron’s shirt, snatched up her wand and bolted back over to Draco, who was turning a sickly shade of blue. “Draco!” she cried as she slipped in the puddle of slime and slugs around him. She quickly got to her knees and grabbed his face. She pointed her wand at his mouth. “Accio slug!”
The lump in Draco’s windpipe remained lodged in place, but the pile of squirming slugs from the floor flew up and landed in Hermione’s lap.
“Goddamn it!!” she roared as she chucked down her wand and pushed the slugs from her legs. Draco started to shake and Hermione yanked at him. “Draco, sit up!”
With obvious effort, Draco pushed himself back to his knees and Hermione slid herself around to his back and wrapped her arms around his middle. Clasping her hands together against his navel, she pressed her face near his ear.
“Hold on, babe,” she whispered just before she pulled her hands swiftly up and into his abdomen with as much force as she could. A muffled groaning echoed within him, but Draco continued to choke. Hermione quickly repositioned her hands and repeated the motion, with no result. Draco started to go limp and panic tore through Hermione’s chest.
“No!” she shouted, and hefted him up to reclasp her shaking hands at his middle. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer to every deity she knew for the maneuver to work and once more thrust her hands upward with everything she had finally sending an enormous slug flying from Draco’s mouth to land with a sickening splat right next to Ron’s still body.
Hermione and Draco both collapsed to the floor. Draco rolled to his back and gasped greedily for air to refill his lungs. Hermione grabbed her wand, crawled up to him, and placed a trembling hand to his face.
“You’re okay…you’re okay,” she cried in relief, but Draco shook his head in her hand. He gurgled and turned on his side to vomit yet another slug.
“Come on,” Hermione grunted as she attempted to heave Draco’s heavy form from the floor by his shoulders. “We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey.”
He sat back up and took Hermione’s hand. She helped him to his feet and then threw his arm around her shoulder to support him. They walked slowly towards the place where Ron still laid, blood leaking from his visibly broken nose. Hermione halted their steps and looked down at him.
“Are you okay for a moment?” she asked Draco quietly. He nodded and Hermione gently removed his arm from her shoulder and crouched down next to Ron. She lowered her face close to his and glared with everything she had.
She reached forward with her left hand and pinched his crooked nose between her fingers. “I don’t know what your intention was, but you nearly killed my soul mate just now and by extension…nearly killed me,” she said in a deadly cold whisper. She roughly cracked his nose back into place and then wiped her hand on his pajamas. Even in his petrified state Ron managed to glare back at her in silent rage.
“That’s right, Ronald. Draco Malfoy is Mr. Perfect. We are fated souls and I love him a thousand times more than I ever loved you. Now, unfortunately you will not remember any of this, but I’ll still count it as a warning…if you purposely hurt him again, I’ll make sure no amount of spells will ever be able to put your nosy fucking face back to rights.” Hermione sat back on her heels and pointed her wand at Ron’s forehead.
“Oh… and I love sucking his dick…Obliviate.”
Ron’s eyes glossed over as the spell flowed through his mind and erased the memories of everything he’d seen, heard, or done since Hermione had left him in the common room. She then forced him into a spell-induced sleep. As soon as it took hold, Hermione stuffed Harry’s cloak and Ron’s fallen wand into her robes, stood, and placed Draco’s arm back around her shoulders.
She waved a quick Evanesco to vanish the slime and slugs, and then levitated Ron to float beside her and Draco as she steered them all around the corner in the direction of the hospital wing.
“You…are…amazing,” Draco whispered into Hermione’s ear as they made their way down the dark hall. He heaved and Hermione conjured a bucket that Draco took in his free hand. He spit a slug into it and took a deep breath.
“Fuck, this is awful,” he said with a burp.
“Ron’s spell of choice,” she sighed back to him. “The slugs aren’t usually this big, though. He really put an effort into it to make you suffer, the bastard.”
“How,” Draco belched, “long is this going to last?” He coughed again into the bucket and Hermione frowned.
“I don’t know. It’s usually about ten minutes, but I don’t want to risk you choking again.”
Draco groaned and nodded. “Nature…nature’s already trying,” he said grimly.
Hermione cast him a troubled glance, but said nothing and they walked the rest of the way to the hospital wing in silence but for the sounds of Draco’s slug producing. When they arrived, Hermione kicked open the doors and hauled the two men inside the large, dimly lit room.
“Madam Pomfrey!” she called loudly. Not a moment later, the harried looking medi-witch immerged from her back office.
“Gracious!” she exclaimed as she took in the sight of them. Madam Pomfrey quickly pointed at Ron. “Him, into that bed,” she demanded with a nod to the bed just to their right. She grabbed Draco by his upper arm and led him over to another bed as Hermione lowered Ron into the one Madam Pomfrey had indicated.
“What in heaven’s name happened, child?” she asked with a stern questioning look at Hermione as she pushed Draco to sit.
“Malfoy and I were on prefect patrol. We discovered Ron unconscious in the main second floor corridor. When we went to help him, someone hit Malfoy with a Slugulus Eructo,” Hermione answered. Draco raised an eyebrow at her story, but smirked right before planting his face back into the bucket.
Madam Pomfrey shook her head with extreme disapproval. “Did you see who did this, Miss Granger?” she asked seriously.
“No, it all happened so quickly. I tried to search for the perpetrator, but Malfoy started choking, so I had to stop to help him.”
Madam Pomfrey continued to shake her head and tsk loudly as she hurried to a cabinet and retrieved a vial. She came back to Draco and thrust it at him. “Drink this, all of it,” she ordered. Draco took the vial and downed the contents in one shot. He spluttered a moment, and then violently vomited a steady stream of now liquefied slugs into the bucket.
“That should be all of them,” Madam Pomfrey commented in a clinical tone as she took the bucket and peered inside after he’d finished. Draco flopped back in the bed and moaned. Madam Pomfrey set down the bucket, handed Draco a towel, and conjured him a glass of water.
“Drink that and rest a moment,” she said before rushing over to Ron’s bed. She waved her wand over his body several times.
“You found him this way?” she asked as she continued to examine Ron’s slumbering form.
“Yes, ma’am,” Hermione answered quietly. “Is…is he okay?”
Madam Pomfrey furrowed her brow and hummed. “Broken nose, cracked orbital bone, bruising…nothing I can’t fix. I don’t see any evidence of a concussion or anything else severe - he was spelled to sleep, not knocked unconscious.”
She waved her wand again and Ron stirred. He blinked his eyes open and looked around.
“Wha…where…whazzagoinon?” he croaked and then groaned loudly in pain.
“Try not to move your face too much, you have a broken eye socket, Mr. Weasley,” Madam Pomfrey said kindly. Ron looked at her in shock.
“I do?” he winced. She nodded.
“Broken nose as well. Do you remember what happened to you?”
Ron scrunched his face in thought, but quickly cringed at the pain in his nose and left cheek. He raised a hand to tenderly touch at his face.
"No...I...last I remember I was sitting in the common room doing homework," he answered softly. He lowered his hand and then noticed Draco lying in the bed across from him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ron sneered and then grabbed at his face again. Madam Pomfrey looked at him harshly.
"Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger found you this way during their patrol. Whoever attacked you, attacked Mr. Malfoy as well," she replied sternly.
Ron looked taken aback and then turned his face to see Hermione standing a little ways to his left.
"Mione? Are you okay…did you get attacked?"
“As good as,” she thought viciously. “No, Ron. I’m okay,” she answered through slightly gritted teeth.
Ron breathed a sigh of relief and then glared back at Draco. "So what'd they hit you with, Ferret?"
Draco gave him a look of pure loathing. "A spell that only the simplest of brainless urchins would enjoy using," he answered spitefully.
Madam Pomfrey shook her head again. "While I’m not one to insult a student, I fear I rather agree with that statement," she said as she shook a bottle of Skele-gro. "Really...a slug-vomiting charm. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Nasty...” She unstoppered the bottle.
“Okay, now drink up, Mr. Weasley." She handed Ron the potion, and immediately misread the sour look he gave her. “Come now, it’s just one dose. If you want to heal that bone, you'll drink that up," she said distractedly as she shuffled back over to Draco's bedside. Ron continued to glare, but obediently drank the liquid.
Hermione ignored Ron's whining at the taste of the Skele-gro and watched as Madam Pomfrey performed a last diagnostic spell on Draco and then waved at him to get up. "No lasting effects, Mr. Malfoy. If you feel quite well enough, you and Miss Granger may return to your dorms. No more patrolling tonight, and get plenty of rest. I'll look after Mr. Weasley and alert the Headmaster of the occurrence."
Draco nodded weakly and eased himself out of the bed. He glared at Ron as he walked to the door. Hermione watched him go and then turned back to Ron.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she forced in a friendly voice. Ron gave her a small, pained smile.
“Sure thing. I don’t know how this happened, but thank you for rescuing me, Mione.”
She simply nodded once and then turned and quickly exited the wing. She caught up to Draco just down the hall and the two slid into an empty classroom and locked the door. They immediately embraced, but Draco pulled back quickly when Hermione gasped in pain.
“What now?” Draco asked pitifully. Hermione held out her swollen and bruised right hand.
“I’m pretty sure it’s broken,” she grimaced as Draco cradled it in his own hands.
“You need to go back and drink some of tha…”
“No,” Hermione interrupted. “She’d know it was me that hit him.”
Draco frowned. “Sev probably has some. Can you hold-out ‘til morning?”
Hermione nodded. “I think so. I know a few pain reducing spells. How’s your throat and stomach?”
“I’ll live,” he shrugged and wrapped his arms around her again.
Hermione hugged him back with her left arm. “We’ll live."
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Songs of Regret