Chapter Thirteen

Thank you to my beta, AmyLouise, and all money goes to JKR, WB, and Scholastic.

Chapter Thirteen

Draco had been watching Hermione intently for an hour, which under different circumstances would have been impossible, since he probably would have ripped her clothes off within the first five minutes. Tonight, however, he was analyzing every grimace, every frown, and even the smiles, which he noted were fleeting and didn't reach her eyes. He was in dread fear of what might happen when she was finally invited into Ron's room, and he just wanted to glue her to her spot on the floor next to him, even if he couldn't touch her in present company.

He wondered if he would ever be able to touch her in present company. He felt a bit less aversion to the Weasel family at the moment than even mere hours ago, but despite Mrs. Weasley's fierce hug of greeting, he had no idea how they honestly felt about him. She was rather desperate when he arrived at the Burrow, after all, and considering that she still fancied that Ron and Hermione would be married and was under the disgusting impression that he and Pansy still had a relationship, any kindness she felt for him could incinerate within her famous fury if she found out what had happened earlier today. He suddenly realized that he and Hermione were probably having passionate sex while Ron was being blown out of a building, and he hoped this hadn't occurred to Hermione.

His desperation to cling to her scared him. Looking around the hallway at her loved ones should have forced his brain back to reality, which was that this relationship could never last. Hell, the relationship would probably disintegrate if they were alone on an island. But he couldn't be rational, and this was the polar opposite of his usual calculating coldness and logic. Did this mean he loved her, then? Or was his loneliness starting to claw its way to the surface? All he knew was that the very thought of saying goodbye to her felt like a bludger to the stomach, and a fatal hit at that.

How had this happened, anyway? He had hired a woman who had grated on his nerves since first year, they had done some research, and then one glance at her in a bathrobe and he was mutated for life. Had he always had some sort of attraction to her? Had his obsession with tormenting her been his way of shoving forbidden feelings into the recesses of his mind?

Thinking back, sixth year and the following war had gotten darkly serious, and when the moment of truth came in his own father's living room, he could barely endure watching Hermione being harmed. It was in that moment that he had realized he was not a follower of the Dark Lord or Lucius Malfoy, and it had taken him until this very second to realize Hermione Granger had saved him. He had always thought it was Potter, but that night in the Room of Requirement wasn't the beginning of his transformation.

Suddenly, his resentment at owing Harry Potter began to dissipate and float away, and gratitude to Hermione took its place. Funny how it was harder to resent someone's help after you had seen her naked and flushed with desire underneath you... and almost admitted to yourself that you loved her.

Across the corridor, Harry and George were updating Charlie on everything they knew so far, which wasn't much. He had just arrived from Romania after being retrieved by Percy, so Percy was also listening intently for anything new.

Molly and Arthur had been in Ron's room for an hour, and no one had so much as stepped out to tell them if he was going to live. Perhaps they didn't know, or maybe they figured everyone would assume the lack of screaming indicated that Ron had a chance. In any event, they were all trapped in limbo, interrupted by a sniffle from Hermione now and then.

Down the corridor some way, Ginny, Bill, and Fleur were whispering coincidentally about the very same subject occupying Malfoy's mind. They had opted to keep from brooding while they waited, knowing it was futile to be too emotional at this point.

"Anyone else notice how Malfoy has been staring at Hermione all night? I mean, I know he can't stand her, but I would think he could ignore that for one night considering that her husband is in critical condition and his wife has lost her father. Has he even owled her to explain why he's staying with us? Bloody fucker infuriates me...fucking selfish git."

"Er... Bill... I should probably fill you in on a few things..."

Bill just stared at Ginny, wondering what defense Malfoy could possibly have and intrigued by the fact that Ginny would be the one voicing it. Wasn't she the one always calling Malfoy a ferret?

"Zer is no excuze for heez coldness, my seester," Fleur chimed in, flipping her silvery blonde hair over her shoulder with a perfectly manicured hand. She had no patience for any man who could resist fawning over his wife.

"Actually, I think you would both be surprised by some... developments Harry and I have observed just tonight." Bill and Fleur were suddenly riveted, Fleur because she would drop anything for juicy gossip, and Bill because he couldn't imagine any redeeming qualities belonging to a Malfoy and was primed to shoot down whatever ridiculous bullshit Ginny was about to spew.

"I am not at liberty to tell you why, but Malfoy was at our flat earlier in the evening." Fleur audibly gasped at this, but Ginny continued. "He is going through a crisis and actually hired Hermione to help him research his options." Another gasp. "I would have thought they would have clawed each other's faces off within hours, but instead, they seem to have formed some sort of... friendship. Hermione Flooed us earlier today and begged us to help him interpret a dream."

"Gin, that still doesn't explain why he is pretending he has no wife mourning a father. Maybe he's buried the hatchet temporarily to use Hermione, but he's still an asshole."

"That's just it, Bill. He isn't married to Pansy anymore. She wasn't just visiting her mum today." Big gasp from Fleur, and Ginny noticed Malfoy glance their way for a moment. She glared a warning at her flighty sister-in-law. "They broke up quite a while ago actually, and according to Hermione, Malfoy had a terribly difficult time enduring her for as long as he did."

"Well, that's bloody shocking." Bill had to admit his prejudiced mind was opening, though.

"When we heard about Ron, Malfoy was with us, and Hermione fiercely insisted on him coming with us to the Burrow. He tried to decline out of respect for our privacy, but when she started crying, he gave in to her. He tried to pretend it was Harry's agreement with the idea, but the ruse was pretty transparent. Harry and I were shocked, to say the least, but we thought it was just some sort of friendship until she cuddled up to him on the couch in our library. They had seemed to be sitting a bit close at our flat, too, but she literally curled into him and laid her head on his shoulder without thinking."

Bill's eyes had steadily grown wider with Ginny's every word, and Fleur had resorted to clasping her hands over her mouth to keep from crying out. "So you sink zey are an item?" Fleur dived in and asked the ill-mannered question bluntly, of course.

"Well, I don't know, but considering the look on his face right now, I'd say Malfoy has at least decided he doesn't share his father's views where Hermione is concerned. I'm thinking it is much more than a general change of heart, though."

"What about Ron?" Although he knew Ron had chosen to end his marriage, Bill still felt that he had to voice some sort of loyalty as his big brother. "I wouldn't have believed Hermione to be so flippant as to forget him within a couple of days. What if he decides he wants her back? Has she really felt so little for him lately?"

"Bill, you seem to be forgetting your declaration on their wedding day that the whole thing was doomed. As much as we all love Hermione, we knew we were grasping at straws to believe their relationship was more than familial. Frankly, I'm glad they finally admitted it. I was pissed as hell at Ron at first because I thought Hermione and Mum would go berserk and I didn't want to lose Hermione as a sister, but when I talked to Hermione today and found that she seemed freed from a gloomy prison, I knew I was being selfish. With what has happened to Ron, I doubt Mum will even notice Hermione or Draco fully for a while, so I've decided to put off my worries in that department as well. We can't seem to avoid changes in this family no matter what we do anyway."

Bill couldn't stifle a bit of laughter, and Ginny was completely confused. "What the hell is so funny?"

"It's just the idea of Hermione and Malfoy. It's even more nutters than Hermione and Ron! They'll kill each other, for fuck's sake!"

Just then, Arthur stepped slowly into the hallway and lifted his hollow eyes to his family.

XXXXX

Everyone was holding a collective breath. Arthur looked totally defeated, which could not mean anything but awful news.

"Ron is... badly burned." His words were coming out as a breathy whisper as that was all Mr. Weasley could manage.

Before Arthur could utter another word, devastated reactions were circulating the group, Ginny clinging to Harry with fresh sobs, George gasping, Bill muttering, "Merlin..." under his breath, grabbing a shaking Fleur around the waist, and Charlie simply closing his eyes. Harry and Percy were stoic, but their eyes revealed a deep pain that was more transparent in Hermione. Her head had collapsed into her hands at the news with a moan of, "Oh, Ron... oh gods..." At that, Draco stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, not giving the smallest fuck what anyone thought.

"How bad is it, Dad?" Percy finally ventured.

"He was found underneath an outer wall of bricks which had collapsed during the explosion, and the healers think he must have been directly touched by whatever was detonated. His body is just..." He struggled to keep speaking, but he knew his wife would never be able to do even this much and there was no one else to inform the family. He didn't want some stranger doing it.

"He hasn't regained consciousness yet, but when he does, they will be able to tell more about whether or not he has sustained brain damage, but as it is, he has several broken bones and his right leg is crushed."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut in agony for his friend, bowing his head. "Can we see him?" Ginny asked tearfully.

"You can see him, but you need to prepare yourselves..." No one needed to hear any more. They looked around at each other, building an aura of support and strength for their brother.

The healer had insisted that no more than two enter the room at a time, so Hermione opted to wait for the last shift and go it alone. She may be Ron's wife, but considering the last conversation she had with him, she wasn't sure if she wanted anyone observing her reaction. Perhaps she was just scared of what she would find, or worse, what she would feel. She could sense the warmth flowing from Draco's strong arms, and she wanted it to last as long as possible.

After sitting and waiting for at least forty-five minutes, she leaned her head back on Draco's shoulder and sighed, and he threaded his fingers through hers. "I'm right here, Granger," he whispered gently, and she melted into his safety while she could. He began to turn her around carefully, wanting to hold her, and caressing a hand under her chin, he leaned in for a kiss that warmed both of their shadowed hearts.

Hermione's guilt was prowling around her, threatening to steal any joy from her grasp. There was guilt for the feelings growing inside of her for Draco, guilt for her failures with Ron, guilt for what had happened to him today, and guilt for the diversion from Mrs. Malfoy when she needed their full attention. Hermione fought with all her might to keep from punishing herself when there was no way to change what was, but she was losing. All she do to brush aside her pain was to lift into Draco's lips again and stay there until she was forced to pull away. As it happened, that was only about fifteen minutes later.