Lifelines (Draco X Hermione)

Chapter 21 HOGWARTS

HERMIONE GRANGER had finally regained consciousness, and she was not amused at the news that she had been unconscious for a whole week, and that within that time Draco Malfoy had still not returned, and that he has not sent any word. After everything they had gone through, she would have thought that he owed her that little consideration, as to send an owl. Granger decided as she lay bored in the infirmary, that he deserved a good smack on the head for causing her to worry.

In the bouts of her irritation about Malfoy, the Minister wandered into the room, he looked sheepish and tentative – not like how the minister should. Harry, Ron and Ginny shared confused looks before Hermione broke the silence. "You better have an idea where he is" she stated before he could speak.

Ginny was shocked, that the Minister knew exactly who she was referring to. "We have identified Mr Malfoy's location from the 26th of December, but we are on it" he stated. Hermione kept her irritated face.

"Pansy did this to me. She would know" Hermione stated again sitting up. Ron and Harry gave a protest but were met with daggering glare. They both knew better than to speak up again. Sheepishly they sat down and let the minister reply. The minister nodded and confirmed that Ms Parkinson had already turned herself in and had been unhelpful on the location of Draco.

Hermione didn't ask any more questions, just looked at her hands – her mind deep of thought.

When the Minister left, she found herself wanting to get out of bed and to find out what was going on. She couldn't even be hurt by his actions; a lot had happened that night. She had just wished he had said a proper goodbye before he left. "What is going on Hermione, there is something you are not telling us about. We, we, we tell each other everything" Ginny stated as the Minister left the room.

"I have to get out of here" Hermione mumbled, not bothering to answer her question. Instead, she pulled her cardigan closer to her chest and slipping on her shoes. "Don't touch me, don't follow me. I will explain when I get back" the three friends protests were useless, they tried to intercede, but she refused and continued out the infirmary. Her legs felt like jelly, but strangely enough it wasn't the first time they had felt likethis. She pushed onwards. Draco, bloody Malfoy would have a lot of explaining to do, she thought as she walked onwards.

"You should rest Hermione; you were hit quite badly." Ginny reminded her, following behind.
"Mione, you cannot be serious" Ron called out

"Mione, please tell us what's going on!" Harry tried.

The gang followed her and helped her up the stairs towards the common room, she was stubborn but after a near miss of the step, she allowed them to help. Ginny ushered the boys out of their room, as Hermione changed into some warm clothes. Ginny watched as she downed a pill with some water and tiered her hair into a knot.

"You need to take it slow" Ginny mumbled again, as Hermione zipped up her jacket.

"Ginny, I got this. I am fine" she tried to smile. With legs, jeans, and a warm knitted cardigan layered onto her body; she was grateful to feel more like herself. The knock on the door was met with Ron and Harry, with a huge plate of food – the amount of food she could not eat on her own. She ate as much as she could and them some – to reassure her friends that she was indeed fine.
"I will explain it all when I get back. I promise, it'll make sense" with that. Hermione went on her own towards the kitchen. The elves were busy making the food for dinner, and kindly took the dirty plate from her hands.
"Miss Granger, how can I be of service?" a little elf asked, they had been a friend of Dobby's, and knew to assist her with anything. She was grateful for it.

"I need to go somewhere, can you take me?" she asked kindly, the elf smiled brightly – happy to be of service. Taking Hermione's hand she felt the familiar movement as her feet landed on soggy leaves outside of the Malfoy Manor. She knew better than to approach the front door, in case there were unexpected guests. Instead, she crept around the side, peeping into the back garden. Thankfully the clumsy elf had gone back to the castle. She wanted to be as quiet as possible.

She was glad to see Draco sitting there drinking tea with his mother. The idiot seemed as if he had plenty of time to send her an owl. She wondered if he even knew about her. She sat and watched the elegant scene. "You really should go back to school now son. I told you, I am feeling much better and I wont let them into the house anymore"
Hermione heard Mrs Malfoy say.

"I will, but I had to be sure." Was all Draco replied. Mrs Malfoy picked up the teapot, likely going to fill it up.

Hermione whipped out her wand whispering "Avis" softly, and summoning the birds, carefully she hummed the familiar tune to them, allowing them to repeat the melody as they flittered around. With a gentle flick of her wand, she send the birds towards Draco's direction. They chirped away happily.

Draco was just about to take another sip of tea when he paused. He couldn't even help but smile, his cheeks wide and his eyes looking around in a hurry.

She was too smart for her own good, he thought. Hermione couldn't help but smile when she saw how quick she was to react to it. She stood up and leaned on the tree, waiting for him to look in her direction.

As the birds scattered, he looked her way and smiled. For a brief moment, she forgot that she had come all this way to smack the git on his head. Mrs Malfoy re-appeared, and Hermione disappeared from his sight, he almost thought he had dreamt of her. As he had all the many night before. His dreams had been so vivid of their lifelines, and always filled with pain. This was a welcomed change.

"Mother, will you excuse me for a moment. Please don't wait for me" Draco slipped past and went through the house to the side door, he walked brisically in the direction from where he saw her.
"Took you long enough" she said appearing from nowhere. "Why haven't you been back at school?" she asked approaching him.
"I had to be there for my mother" he said. She nodded looking down at his feet.

"I have been in the infirmary for the past week. Parkinson hexed me" if he wanted to be curt and factual, as did she. She wanted him to feel the pain that she felt, of being abandoned. His face paled. "You didn't know" she added shaking her head.

"Shit" was all he said stepping closer.

"I thought she might have got you too. Seeing as if I didn't hear from you" she added.

"Hermione"

"To think I was looking for you, and you were having high tea with your mother. Without even a word. After every bloody thing we have gone through"

"Hermione"

"You just had to send one owl Draco. One bloody owl" "I should have..."

"Why didn't you?"

"I didn't want you to come to this place"

She crossed her arms "yet here I am. Draco, what is going on. We agreed we were in this together. You are the only one who knows what we are going through. I am not hurt by Pansy, I am hurt because of you". It was the first time she had called him Draco. He smiled softly as she looked sheepishly at the ground.

"I am sorry" she could have gone further with her rant. But he silenced her with the simple words. "I messed up. I am sorry". She was grateful that he didn't have the Gryffindor pride that often-made people boastful and arrogant. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I didn't want to hurt you again"

"We need each other Draco." She whispered into his neck. For that he held her a little bit tighter.

"You need to go, it's not safe here" he whispered quickly. Hermione looked up at him, it was ironic to think that they could be safe anywhere. She rested her head on his shoulder a little long before letting him go.

"Look what we have here" the words sent both of their posture into a ridged form. Hermione took a deep breath and looked at the faces of the small group that had formed in front of them.