It was quiet in the hospital wing.

Narcissa and Lucius had only recently left after meeting with Dumbledore and Madam Pomphrey. Hermione had just dropped the disillusionment charm she’d cast when Pomphrey had been checking on Draco and then slid into the bed beside him.

She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but she woke to the sensation of gentle fingers brushing her cheek.

“Wake up, darling,” Daphne said softly. “You need to eat something.”

Hermione started awake, sitting straight up in the bed and slightly jostling a still unconscious Draco who whimpered slightly. Immediately she turned towards him, running a hand over his forehead and smoothing his hair, shushing softly to him.

“Sorry,” Daphne apologized.

“No, it’s okay,” Hermione said, not taking her eyes off Draco's sleeping face. “I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.”

She felt the nudge of something hard and turned to see the proffered coffee cup Daphne held. Behind her stood Theo, his eyes bright and wet, holding a plate of food.

“Come on,” Daphne encouraged, forcing Hermione to take the cup. “You need to eat.”

Reluctantly Hermione accepted it, bringing the mug to her lips to take a deep drink before sighing. Theo placed the plate on the bedside table that held all of Draco’s potions, and pulled her into a deep hug.

“Thank Merlin you were there,” Theo said, his voice rough.

“It didn’t make a difference… I couldn’t… There was nothing I could do,” she said, her voice hitching on a few of the words. “Snape was the one who saved him.”

She felt him nod against her before pulling away.

“Who was it? Snape wouldn’t say,” Theo asked.

“ Theo ,” Daphne admonished. “Let her eat before the interrogation.”

Theo’s cheeks heated as he rubbed the back of his neck, nodding.

“You’re right – sorry Mione. Here.” He grabbed the plate he’d set aside and extended it to her. “She’s right, we know you haven’t had anything since yesterday at lunch.”

“I’m not hungry,” Hermione said, her eyes drifting back to Draco. She felt the plate nudge her arm.

“I didn’t ask if you were hungry,” Theo said a little more firmly, continuing to hold the plate out until she begrudgingly took it as Theo sat in one of the seats left behind by Narcissa and Lucius.

“Just a few bites, okay?” Daphne smiled softly, smoothing back Hermione’s hair – frizzy from her lack of the usual charm work.

Hermione took a small bite of the sandwich they’d brought to her. It felt like sand in her mouth as she chewed and struggled to swallow.

“Harry… it was Harry,” she said after a few more bites, answering Theo’s previous question.

Theo’s eyes blazed.

“ What? ” he snapped, his hands fisting at his sides.

She took a deep breath, slowly placing the plate back on the bedside table.

“It was Harry that cursed him. Some spell he’d picked up from his potions book – sectumsempra .”

“How the fuck did Potter learn a dark curse from a potions book?”

Pressing her fingertips to her eyelids as if she could shove the images out of her brain, she sighed again.

“It’s a used book, there’s tons of things written in the margins. He’s been obsessed with it… almost as obsessed as finding out what Draco’s been doing…”

Theo let out an ominous chuckle before rising to his feet.

“I’ll kill him.”

Daphne grabbed his arm, pushing him back into his chair.

“You will do no such thing, Theodore Nott,” she scolded.

“It’s already been handled, Theo,” Hermione said. “I… I spoke to Him this morning.”

Hermione closed her eyes again, shuddering as she saw Draco’s lifeless body in the ankle-deep water before opening them. Theo had only relaxed slightly into the chair while Daphne stood beside him keeping a firm hand on his shoulder.

“But Harry knows,” she continued softly. “He knows about Draco’s feelings for me.”

In a tired voice, Hermione relayed the conversation she’d had with Harry. Theo’s face grew paler by the minute while Daphne slowly lowered herself onto the arm of his chair.

“Thank Merlin he believed you…” Daphne said softly.

“Do you think he really did?” Theo asked.

Hermione nodded.

“I searched his mind after, there was no suspicion there. He’s also said he’s given up on following Draco around, but I saw he was lying about that. However, since he’ll be having detention with Snape almost every day until the end of term, he’ll have a difficult time following through with it.”

“Potter nearly kills me and he gets detention ?” a croaky voice asked from behind her.

Hermione spun, her gaze settling on Draco who was stirring weakly behind her in the bed. His eyes fluttered before squinting against the bright daylight.

“ Draco ,” she breathed, reaching to touch his face.

He gave her a soft smile, his fingertips reaching to trace the line of her cheekbone.

“Hello, love. Miss me?” he asked wryly.

Tears sprung into her eyes as she gave a watery chuckle, pressing her lips against his forehead and cheeks while his hands slid up her arms, rounding her shoulders.

“I thought I lost you,” she whispered against his skin as she pressed more kisses to his face.

“I’m right here,” he reassured her, cupping her chin and pressing his mouth to hers tenderly. “It’ll take more than Potter’s shoddy curse work to get rid of me.”

“Thought you just said he nearly killed you, mate,” Theo couldn’t help but tease, earning him a swat from Daphne.

“Emphasis on nearly ,” Draco said, leaning around Hermione to shoot his best friend a look.

…

The early summer afternoon light was spilling in from the floor to ceiling windows of the advanced Arithmancy section of the library where Hermione was searching only slightly desperately for a book.

It had been a month since Draco had left the hospital wing. A month after their trip back to the manor through the vanishing cabinet to see the Dark Lord, who offered his gratitude that Draco was recovering well.

A month since the Dark Lord had instructed Hermione on a similar mission as in Italy – accompanied by a large blonde Death Eater named Yaxley – but in the south of France to find another turncoat by the name of Rosemund. This time, however, the Dark Lord wanted the wandmaker alive.

The man had not been difficult to find in his palatial apartment, nor had it been difficult working with Yaxley who had no inkling of her true identity. Yaxley appeared to trust the honor and ranking the Dark Lord had placed upon her and was eager to prove his worth.

By the time they’d finished, Hermione had once again been covered in blood due to Yaxley’s over eager slicing charms. Thankfully, this time it was not her own or someone she loved.

As she reached on her tiptoes to touch the spine of a text she thought she might need, her mind drifted back to that night.

“Scalpere!” Yaxley cried, slashing his wand through the air.

The hex hit Rosemund square across the chest, deep crimson blood splattering the golden wallpaper and the front of Hermione’s robes and mask. The man gasped, falling backwards as his hands scrambled at his chest.

“Was that necessary?” Hermione stared pointedly at Yaxley before stepping to kneel beside the wanted man.

“P-please…” Rosemund stuttered through the pain. “I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?” Hermione asked in a sweet voice. “Will you rejoin your lord?”

When the man did not respond, Hermione pressed the tip of her wand into the still gushing wound.

“I can heal it or I can finish it. Make your choice,” she said in the same sweet tone.

She watched Rosemund’s face pale as he thought. He was older, maybe in his sixties though it was difficult to tell with wizards past a certain age, with deep golden skin and thick straight black hair with a slightly crooked nose that vaguely reminded her of Dumbledore.

“I… I will…” he stumbled over the words as Hermione pressed harder into the wound. “I will rejoin my lord.”

She smiled at this, though of course he couldn’t see behind her mask. But she muttered the healing charm, knitting the skin across his chest back together as he sighed in relief.

“Come then, your lord awaits,” she said, then pulled the old teacup from her pocket.

A large hand brought her out of her reverie, sliding over her mouth and stifling her surprised gasp.

“Can you stay quiet for me?” a low voice purred in her ear.