Chapter 7

"My wards have been breached.  Someone is coming," Severus warned.  He felt the change the moment he set foot in his home.  "You must stay in this part of the house.  Go up to your room, and stay there, doors locked.  Ward the room if you can.  I've got to get to the front.  Be careful!"  He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head and hurried down the hall. 

Hermione was shocked by the affectionate move, but realized he had no idea what he had done.  She followed his instructions and hurried upstairs, closing herself in her room. She placed every protective spell she could think of and sat stiffly on her bed, eyes trained on the door and the windows.  Her wand was ready.  She was prepared to wait. 

At some point she dozed off, which infuriated her because she knew she had to be on alert.  She could blame that on the baby.  She listened to the quiet house, glad that she couldn't detect any sounds of struggle.  She thought that surely he had departed for the meeting, and the people who had entered his wards probably came to escort him.  It was most likely safe for her to relax.  She lowered one set of spells and called for Pip.  He arrived in a snap and bowed to her. 

"Is Severus back?  Has the house been compromised?"

"No, Miss Hermione.  Master met some men in the front yard of the old house.  They left.  Master said for you to stay in your room.  He's worried.  Is Miss Hermione hungry?"

"I am a little hungry.  It is past time for dinner." She had barely gotten her words out when Pip was gone.  Minutes later he was back with a platter of food.  "Stay here, Miss.  If you need anything, just call."

"Thank you, Pip." Hermione started on her dinner and waited some more. 

She had dozed off again when she felt a small hand shaking her awake. "Miss Hermione!  Come quick! Master is needing you."

Knowing that Pip was to be trusted, Hermione jumped to her feet and lowered the remaining spells.  She hurried down the stairs as quickly as she could, and what she found in the study stopped her in her tracks.  She had expected to find a wounded Severus at worst, but instead, she saw him kneeling on the floor cradling a very bloody and broken Draco Malfoy. 

"He needs help.  He's dying," Severus gasped as he looked at her, tears in his eyes.  "You apprenticed with Poppy; can you help?"

Hermione threw all of the old hatred for Draco out the window and called Pip to get some supplies.  "Get bandages," she ordered.  "I'm going to your lab," she told Severus.  She ran down the stone steps and burst into his potions lab.  She quickly scanned the shelves.  Grabbing what she needed, she rushed back up. 

"Lay him flat," she ordered as Severus arranged him on the rug.  Draco's arm was bent at an awkward angle, and his breathing was ragged.  "Take his shirt off.  Where is this blood coming from?" she asked, starting to panic.  She got her answer when Draco's shirt was removed.  He had a gash across his entire chest, starting at his right shoulder and moving to his left hip.  It was deep, and it was deadly.  She performed the few diagnostic spells she had learned and could tell that his lung was punctured, probably from broken ribs.  She gave him a potion for the pain and another to keep him unconscious. 

"I don't know what to do, Severus!  I'm not confident in this."

"You have to try; I can't take him anywhere else."

"Can you call for Madam Pomfrey?  Can she come to him?"

"Yes, I'll try." He got up and went to the Floo, trying to reach someone at Hogwarts that he trusted.  He looked back as Hermione leaned over his godson and was hit by such a wave of affection for her.  She didn't hesitate to help the boy who had made her life miserable for seven years. 

Hermione was completely focused on what she needed to do.  She had to stop the bleeding. A quick suturing spell would fix that, but she wasn't sure what was going on inside, and that was the biggest concern.  She knew how to heal broken bones, so she started with the ribs.  She felt that if she could put his ribs back together, she could work on his lung.  She had managed to stop most of the blood flow, but his pulse was weak.  She was just about to try something else when Madam Pomfrey stepped out of the fireplace. 

Madam Pomfrey rushed over to kneel on the other side of Draco.  

"What have you done already?" she asked Hermione.

"I gave him a pain potion and something to keep him unconscious.  I've stopped the external bleeding, but I think there's more internally.  I healed his ribs but wasn't sure how to inflate his lung."

"Good work, Miss Granger.  I'll take over, but don't go far. I might need your help." 

Hermione stood up and moved away from the horror scene in front of her.  She went to stand by Severus, and immediately, his arm went around her shoulder and pulled her in toward him.  She was desperate for the comfort and held him tightly as they watched.  She didn't want Draco to die, despite everything that had happened.  

After Madam Pomfrey finished her last healing spell, she sat back and wiped her brow.  She looked at Severus. "He should live.  He needs a bed and time to rest.  We can't move him back to the castle, though."

"He can stay here," Severus told her as he moved out of Hermione's embrace.  "We can levitate him to one of the guest rooms upstairs.  I'll care for him."

"We'll both care for him," Hermione said softly. "Teach us what to do."

Madam Pomfrey looked at the pair. "Very well, Severus. Help me get him upstairs, and I'll give you instructions.  I'll need to check on him daily for a few days, so you'll need to keep your Floo open for me.  When I'm here tomorrow, I might as well look you over too, Miss Granger.  It will save you a trip later in the week."

"Pip!  Mosey!" Severus called.  When they appeared, he barked out more orders. "Go open up the guest room on the right.  We'll need fresh sheets and blankets on the bed.  Open up the windows for fresh air. We'll be bringing Mr. Malfoy up in a few minutes."  With a nod, the elves were gone, and Severus helped Madam Pomfrey get Draco into a position for levitation.  Hermione picked up his wand and his ruined shirt, casting a cleansing charm on the rug that was soaked with blood.  She threw the shirt in the rubbage and followed the group upstairs.  When she walked into the room, Draco was lying peacefully on the bed.  

Severus and Hermione listened carefully to the instructions regarding his care.  When Madam Pomfrey finally left, she was satisfied that Draco would be well taken care of.  Severus walked her downstairs and came up to find Hermione sitting on the floor outside of Draco's room.  Her shirt was covered in blood, and she was staring at her hands and holding Draco's wand.  He sighed and sat down beside her, sitting closer than was necessary, but when she leaned her head against his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her. 

"I was so afraid.  I didn't know what to do," she cried.

"You were amazing.  You saved his life; Poppy said so.  If you hadn't stopped the bleeding, he would have been dead before she arrived.  You aren't a Healer yet, but you knew enough to save a man's life."

"What happened, Severus?" Hermione looked into his eyes. 

"He refused the Dark Mark.  He was brought before the Dark Lord by his father, basically handed over into his service."  He paused a moment to choose his words.  "Voldemort was thrilled.  It was initiation night, and a few other former students received their mark.  Draco was saved to the end, the crown jewel in Voldemort's collection.  He'd been in his service before, testing the waters.  He was supposed to kill Dumbledore, as you know.  In recent months though, he's been having second thoughts."

"I sensed that something was different about him.  He stopped picking on all of us, even Harry those last couple of months."

"You'll have to ask him his reasoning, but I'm very thankful that he refused."

"Can you continue?  Your story, I mean. What happened when he refused?"

"When he was brought forward, he was already struggling, unlike his friends.  Voldemort was thrilled that Draco would be joining him.  He was almost gleeful.  Draco had been attending meetings for over a year, but Voldemort waited until he was out of school before asking him to pledge his allegiance to his side, thereby taking the Dark Mark.  When the Dark Lord asked him to repeat the oath, he refused.  He approached Draco to perform the spell on his arm, and Draco shot off a disarming spell.  Voldemort has no patience and pulled a knife out of his robes, and well, you saw the damage.  The Dark Lord asked for volunteers to move 'the body' out of his sight, and I made sure to volunteer.  We Apparated out to the woods behind Malfoy Manor and left him.  A few of the others beat and kicked him, causing his bones to break.  They thought he was dead. After the meeting, I went back to where we had left him and brought him here.  I didn't know if he was alive or not, but I knew I couldn't leave him out in the elements.  I thought I would be burying him in the garden, but he was still breathing." He shuddered at the last words and gave in to a few tears streaking down his face.  "He's my godson; I couldn't leave him."

"Of course you couldn't.  You did what you had to do.  You did the right thing. He'll be safe here with us."  Hermione reached up to brush the tears from his face. "You are a good man, Severus Snape." 

Snape's breath hitched when he heard her say those words.  That softness, combined with her hands on his cheeks, did him in.  Without allowing him time to second guess himself, he leaned towards her, his lips a breath away from hers.  He looked at her, waiting for her to push him away, but she didn't.  She made the last move and pressed her lips to his.  He reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer.  Their lips were moving slowly, no rush, no fire, just heat.  She reached out with her tongue to taste his lips, and he opened up for her.  They explored each other's mouths while their hands wandered, gently and affectionately, over each other.  Hermione pulled away to take a deep breath and smiled.  Her smile warmed every part of him, and all the apologies he was going to send her way were gone.  He apparently had nothing to apologize for. 

"Wow," she sighed. "Who knew?" 

"Who knew, indeed," he chuckled. 

"I'm not going to apologize because that was one bloody fantastic kiss, and I really needed a good kiss," Hermione told him, jabbing him in the shoulder with her pointed finger.  "You'd better not apologize either.  It wasn't wrong, immoral, against nature, or any other excuse you can come up with."

"I wasn't about to apologize.  Well, I was until you smiled at me.  I think I was in need of a good kiss myself.  As for it being wrong or immoral, the whole world thinks we've shagged, so I doubt a little snog would make anyone think twice."

Their light mood was broken by a moan coming from the open doorway.  Severus stood up and helped Hermione to her feet.  They cautiously approached the door and walked in.  Draco had his eyes open and seemed to be terrified.  Because of his injuries, a paralysis spell had been placed on him so he couldn't move. 

"Draco?  Can you hear me?  It's Severus."

"Guh," Draco tried to speak but was having trouble.

"You are fine.  You're safe at my house.  You've been treated for extensive injuries."

"Hurts," he gasped.

"I'll get you more pain potion.  Hermione will stay with you." Severus swept from the room while Draco turned his eyes on Hermione. 

"You're going to be just fine, Draco.  We are going to get you healthy again; don't worry.  You'll stay here with us until you're well."

"Blood!" he gasped, looking at her shirt.

"It's your blood.  Do you want to know what's happened?"

"Yes."

"You have a broken arm that should be healing very quickly; it will probably just be a little achy by morning.  Your ribs were broken, which punctured one of your lungs.  Your ribs are back in place, but they will be sore for a while.  Your lung has been healed, although you shouldn't do anything strenuous.  You had quite a slice on your chest.  It will heal, but you will probably have a scar.  Part of your small intestine was cut, which caused a lot of internal bleeding.  Madam Pomfrey was able to heal that as well, but your diet will need to be limited for a while.  The reason you can't move is because we didn't want you hurting yourself when you woke up.  Thrashing about could open your wounds, and we knew you might not know where you were when you woke up.  You should rest tonight without moving, and in the morning we'll remove the spell."

"Where?" Draco continued to gasp out one word sentences, but he was getting his point across.

"You're at Severus' home.  You can stay with us for as long as you need to.  You are safe here."

"You?" 

Hermione laughed. "Yes, I suppose it's a bit shocking having me at your bedside telling you I'll help take care of you.  It was a bit shocking having you bleeding in the study as well.  We'll talk when you are feeling better, but I don't hold any anger towards you, and I hope that one day you can get over your anger at me.  We've been through too much over these past seven years, and I just don't have it in me to dislike you anymore.  I'm proud of you for standing up to Voldemort."  She looked up at the darkened doorway and saw Severus leaning against it. 

"She's right," he said as he walked into the room. "I'm proud of you as well.  Never regret your decision, Draco.  Never look back or second guess.  You can only go forward from here.  We have a lot to talk about.  You need to rest, though.  Do you still want the pain potion?"

"Yes.  Hurts."

"I'm sure it does." Severus carefully tilted Draco's neck up and poured the potion down his throat.  Within minutes, he was relaxed and sleeping again.  Snape led Hermione from the room once more. 

"You handled him very well.  I'm glad that you told him everything that was going on.  He'll respect that."

"I have to admit I'm a bit frightened. What if he is here as part of a plot to get to me?  I was so focused on healing him that I didn't even think that."

"I thought about it, but he was almost dead, Hermione.  He would have been if I hadn't gone back for him.  I'll get the truth out of him one way or another."

"I trust you." She reached out and wrapped her arms around him, once again taking comfort in his strength. 

"Good.  Now, you should go get cleaned up and get some rest.  You must be exhausted."

"I'll stay with Draco; he might need something."

"No, you go, I'll stay with him a while and then have Pip and Mosey sit with him.  You have to take care of yourself and this baby. She's too important.  You are too important."  His eyes were soft as he leaned down to brush her lips with another kiss.  "Good night, Hermione."  He scooted her away from him and toward her door.  She walked in, completely in a haze about what had just happened.  That simple, little, good night kiss had stirred her more than anything ever had.