{22} Traitors and House Elves

He lay down next to her lifeless body, hoping that she'd wake up. Weeks passed since the incident and he shed not a tear. His eyes were devoid of emotion, his lips pressed firmly into a tight line. He barely slept for he did not want to miss anything that happened. The other boy in the room grew increasingly worried for the blonde. Nothing he did helped in anyway. The Healers were in and out of the room, helping both the patient and the depressed.

Harry Potter tried all that he could to keep Draco Malfoy from sinking into the pits of despair and depression. He didn't know what else to do. Hermione lay on that bed, as lifeless as any person. Her breathing was labored, her eyes darted frantically beneath her lids. She didn't move. The curse hit her quite hard and did damage that the Healers couldn't even figure out what. Doing the best they could, they kept her alive to a certain extent. 

For Draco, it wasn't enough. He held on to her body, like it was his last lifeline. He did not feel this scared, since he was ordered to kill Dumbledore, or when his father forced him to become a Death Eater.

No, this was a different kind of scared. He was scared of losing the one thing that gave him life, his heart. Hermione gave him a reason to still live. She was the one that put the past behind her and give him a second chance as a person. Despite her own troubles, she was willing to let go of them for him. He had never known this selfless love and now had a hatred burning inside of him to kill the person responsible for this.

Draco slowly got up from where he was lying down next to Hermione and raspily said to Harry who was watching him with rapt attention, "I don't think I'm helping Mione much by sitting here in our own depression. I'm going to go dig for answers and freshen up for a bit."

Harry cracked a smile. There was the Slytherin he knew from school, and for once could call him a friend. Nodding at him, "Go ahead, Malfoy. I'll be here with her. Don't worry, Hermione will bounce back in no time."

A ghost of a smile passed over Draco's face, before he leaned down and gave Hermione a gentle kiss, brushing her hair out of her face, before whispering quietly, "Hang in there, love, I'll be back soon enough."

Harry smiled softly as he watched Draco leave the room and disapperate a second later. Sitting down next to Hermione, Harry took her hand in his own and gave it a quick squeeze, and started to talk to her about all that had happened.

---

Draco Malfoy apperated home, went into his bathroom and just stared in the mirror. His eyes were sunken in, puffy and big bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep. His hair was dull and unkempt. His skin was paler than usual. Sighing at himself, he stripped and stepped into a hot shower, washing all the grime, dirt, and shedding his skin so to say of all that happened. He wanted a fresh start, he wanted to be health for his Hermione when she was ready to come join him. As the hot water ran over his body, he thought of all the possibilites on who could have done it. A Death Eater, perhaps? His Father? Weasley? He laughed at that idea. Weasley wouldn't have the brains to come up with something so sinister, he thought to himself.

He turned off the shower, and dried himself off. Putting on some fresh clothes and robes. He stepped out looking at a new him. His skin glowed, his hair now back to what it was. Though his eyes still had bag under his eyes, he realized that Hermione was more important.

Draco walked into the kitchen and grabbed something to eat before he floo powdered to the Ministry, desperate to find answers. He looked for people he knew, but none would look at him. Curious, he walked to his department and sat at his desk. He was confused. Looking up, he noticed Blaise walking toward him.

"Blaise! Hey, Blaise!" Draco shouted to get his attention.

"Malfoy."

"What the bloody hell has happened here? Why won't anyone look at me?" Draco asked nervously.

Blaise rounded on him and sneered in his face, "You traitor. You disgraced the name of a pureblood. You … you … tainted us! Everyone found out about you and the mudblood. How you two are … are … together. What the hell, Draco? You disgust me."

Blaise spit in his face and stalked off. It dawned on Draco at that moment, everyone was mad at him and Hermione. He also should have realized that sooner or later someone was going to find out about them. Sighing exasperatedly, Draco walked out of the Ministry, knowing very well, no answers were going to be found there.

He wandered around London aimlessly, thinking for any possible clues, until he heard someone calling his name. Turning quickly around, he noticed one his house elves from the Malfoy Manor appear in front of him. The creature was shaking and acting all nervous, as Dobby would when he knew he didn't want to tell something or he was going to get punished.

Crouching down, he gently calmed down him down and asked, "I want you to tell me exactly what the problem is."

"M-Master Malfoy, t-they a-are sp-spying on y-you. They t-talk. The M-Mistress is said to be their t-target. I-I do not know, who... Master Malfoy. I-it's all I-I know. Farewell, Master Malfoy." With that, the house elf disappeared.

Draco blinked, before anger boiled up inside of him. Rage filled his face as the information sunk into him. There was only one place he needed to go and he was gonna give them a piece of his mind.

---

Far away in England, they plotted, planned, argued, and even scared the balding wizard who sent the death eater to them. Pansy and Ron were having a far better time together than ever. Ron leaned in to kiss Pansy, and for the first time, he felt happy. Pansy snuggled into the redhead. Plan B was coming along nicely, even though neither knew Harry was watching Hermione slip slowly away from life.

Author's Note

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