When Enemies Interact

Chapter 16: Confessions

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Draco was fast asleep when Hermione returned from the hospital wing, carrying a medium-sized bottle filled with the slimy, bright purple pain-relieving potion and an empty goblet. She sat back down in the seat beside his bed and looked down at his pale, bruised face as he continued to sleep soundly. She took out her wand and tapped the brutal bruise around his right eye, murmuring a small healing charm Madam Pomfrey had just taught her as she did so. She watched as the bruise disappeared, before placing her wand down on the bedside table.

"Draco," she said softly, shaking his shoulder gently with her hand. Draco's eyes shot open almost immediately as a gasp of pain escaped his lips. Hermione moved her hand away quickly and bit her lower lip. "I'm so sorry," she said apologetically. Draco's face relaxed and his gaze shifted to the potion in her hand. He let out a groan of disgust.

"I know you don't like this stuff, Draco," Hermione said solemnly. "It helped last time, though, didn't it?" Draco just lay there on the bed, knowing she was right. "Here, I'll help you sit up..." She placed the potion and goblet on his bedside table and carefully helped him into a sitting position. He watched her with content as she lent over him to get the pillows from the other side of the bed and placed them behind him to help support him. "Are you comfortable?" she asked. Draco only nodded in reply, not letting his gaze leave hers.

Hermione smiled under his gaze, before grabbing the potion and pouring the right amount of it into the goblet. She handed it to him with an apologetic smile. "Try to drink it all down, Draco," she said. "You know it will help."

Draco reluctantly pinched his nose and raised the goblet to his lips. He drank all the slimy, ill-tasting liquid before handing the now-empty goblet back to Hermione, feeling as though he wanted to bring it all up again. Hermione gave a small smile, ignoring the revolted look on Draco's face.

She placed the goblet back on the bedside table, before turning back to Draco, who was moving around slightly, trying to get comfortable. "Are you hungry at all?" she asked soothingly. Draco shook his head, causing pain to run all the way down his spine. He cringed and lifted his hand up to massage the back of his neck. Hermione watched him closely, wondering what else she could do to help him.

"Madam Pomfrey taught me a small spell while you were sleeping," she said after a short moment. "It gets rid of bruises. I used it on your face before I woke you up. Would you like me to use it on some of your other bruises to help get rid of a little bit of the pain?" She looked at Draco carefully as she asked him this. "I won't be able to get rid of all the bruises, though - only the really bad ones.

Draco didn't even hesitate before nodding. Hermione slowly grabbed her wand and examined his bruises once more. There were so many of them, but some were so brutal, so black they caused Hermione's heart to retch. Why would anyone want to hurt their own son like this? It was so inhumane, so heartless and what did they get out of it? Hermione felt her anger and hatred for Lucius Malfoy rise inside of her at the thought. She continued to mutter the little healing spell at every severe bruise, not wanting to let her ill-wishing feelings for Lucius to show.

She finished her healing and sat back down in her chair. Draco, who was looking at her with a distant expression, muttered a small "thanks", but his mind was on something else entirely and Hermione could tell.

"Draco, is something troubling you?" she asked curiously.

Draco shifted his attention back to her and hesitated slightly before replying. "The letter," he began slowly. "I've wanted to talk to you about it for the past week, but with Boot dying ... I haven't really had a chance." He carefully lent over in his bed and opened the top drawer of his bedside table. After a short moment, he brought out the parchment envelope containing her meaningful letter. "When I received this letter, I didn't really know exactly how I felt for you. I was confused with all my feelings, because I had never felt anything like it in my life, but then I read this letter and knew. This letter caused me to realise something that I never thought existed and it's held in my body, in my heart..." He trailed off. Hermione was watching him extremely closely and patiently as he tried to form the words he had been yearning to say for the past week or so. "I love you," he said slowly and quietly.

Hermione's heart did an odd flip. They were the very words that she had wanted to hear from his mouth. She sat there with a smile set on her lips. She slowly lent forward in her chair and gave him a small kiss on the lips. "I love you, too," she said. She moved over and sat on the edge of his bed rather than the chair.

Draco couldn't help but give her a tiny smile back. "When are we going to go see Dumbledore?" he asked lightly. It seemed that the potion was taking its effect, as the pain was slowly leaving him. Hermione straightened the blanket covering Draco.

"I think you should get a bit more rest before we go," she said. "You look extremely tired. How about we go and see him in the morning. That way you can get a good night sleep to help you recover."

Draco gave a small nod and let out a small shiver. "I'm cold," he stated simply. Hermione smiled and stood up. She helped Draco get under the other covers and sat back down on the edge of the bed next to him again.

"Better?" she asked as she straightened the blankets again, making sure they covered Draco properly.

Draco was staring at her with an odd expression on his face that Hermione had never seen before. She waited for a reply from him, but it never came. His eyes were locked on hers and she couldn't look away, but she didn't want to, anyway. Her heart beat quickened and she only faintly took in the fact that he had a hand on the back of her neck and he was guiding her face down to his. She didn't object when their lips met, in a slow, passionate kiss that caused a great amount of feelings and emotions to run through both of their bodies.

The intensity between them steadily built. Hermione was absently running her hands over Draco's body, allowing him to guide her down, on top of him. His excitement was evident through the blankets, but this time she honestly didn't care. She had been yearning for this kiss ever since the last one and, obviously, he had been as well. A moan escaped her throat and suddenly, Draco abruptly broke the kiss.

"I hear someone coming," he gasped, trying to catch some breath. Hermione heard it as well. It sounded like footsteps of someone heading up the stairs to the common room! She climbed off Draco, grabbed her wand off the bedside table and sat back down in the chair, straightening her top as she did so.

The door of Draco's room was open and Hermione sighed a sigh of relief when she was noticed Dumbledore standing in the doorway, looking around the common room with his silver beard shining in the flicking light of the blazing fire. She was about to call out to say where they were when Dumbledore's gaze met hers and a smile came to his lips. He headed over to Draco room and stood in the doorway, hands behind his back, taking in everything in the room.

"I've come up," the tall headmaster said, "because I overheard Mr.'s Goyle and Crabbe talking about you, Mr. Malfoy. They were saying that you were down in the dungeons, that you father, Lucius, had obviously found you." Dumbledore looked down at Draco over his half-moon glasses. "Am I right in saying that your father could've killed you today, Draco?"

Draco looked up at the elderly headmaster with a vacant expression and nodded slowly. "He had wanted to talk to me about -" He didn't know if he should tell the headmaster about Hermione being the reason. He looked at Hermione, who gave a tiny nod. "- He wanted to talk to me about the stuff that's going on between Hermione and me.

"You've got a fair idea as to what my father is like, Professor. He despises everything to do with Muggle-borns and here I am, literally living with one." He cast another look at Hermione. "He doesn't like the fact Hermione and I have gotten so close -"

"You don't have to go into these sorts of details, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore interrupted. "None of that is really my business. What I want to know is what he did to you."

Draco took a deep breath and began to tell him. He told him about the Cruciatus Curse, and how his father had used it on him until he passed out. How he'd woken up, several hours later, feeling as though he'd been run over by the Knight Bus more than once. He told him everything, and both Hermione and Dumbledore listened with intent.

When Draco had finished, Dumbledore nodded and stepped further into the room. He headed over to the edge of Draco's bed and sat down, looking at Draco carefully.

"Your father," Dumbledore questioned, "would he have been the one responsible for feeding poor Terry the Crillian Virus?" The look in Dumbledore's blue eyes was that of great concern and seriousness.

Draco nodded. "He'd done that in an act of helping me, though I didn't ask for it." Dumbledore nodded in understanding.

"I think it will be wise if I contact the Ministry about the punishments your father has been giving you," he said. "The Ministry will of course need proof. Miss Granger, I ask you not to remove any more of Draco's bruises or cuts, as that is the exact evidence the Ministry will want and need. You are also somewhat a witness of this punishment. You may not have seen it, but you did see Draco's condition after it." Dumbledore stood up. "If all goes the way I wish it to," he said with finality, "your father may very well lose custody of you, Mr. Malfoy. Though, with his use of the Cruciatus Curse, he may also be put in Azkaban."

Draco nodded. He honestly didn't care if his father lost custody of him or got put in prison. His father totally deserved it and it was something Draco had wanted to happen for a long time.

Dumbledore gave both Hermione and Draco a small smile and retreated from the room, giving each of them a small "good night."

Draco turned his gaze back to Hermione, who smiled. "I knew Dumbledore would do something to help you," she said. "It will be good if your father does lose custody of you."

Draco nodded and snuggled down further in his bed, wanting to just shut is eyes and go to sleep.

"You get some sleep. I'll stay here all night, if you wish, just in case you wake up in agony," she said softly. Draco nodded, not really caring if she stayed or not. "I still have a little bit of reading I have to do for Charms anyway. The N.E.W.T's aren't far away and my studying has been falling back a bit, lately." Draco gave a small smile at the look on her face. She looked almost ashamed at herself.

"Falling back on studying," he smirked, shaking his head. "That's not like you at all, Miss Granger." Hermione gave him a false smile.

"Go to sleep. You need it," she said. "I'm just going into the study to get my Advanced Charms book. When I get back, I want to see your eyes closed."

"Yes, mother," Draco said sarcastically. Hermione gave him a slightly cold look before she left the room.

Draco watched her retreat, a small smile on his face. He was amazed at how fine he felt, now. It proved that the revolting potion really did work well, but he had a feeling that the fact he had finally told Hermione that he loved her had something to do with it, as well...