Broken

The Musings of Dumbledore

Chapter 2

Hermione was sitting on the bed, going through the events of the day when a knock at the door startled her.

"Miss Granger, it's time to go. Are you ready?"

Hermione stood and opened the door. Her eyes widened as she watched Professor Snape levitating an unconscious Draco Malfoy into the room.

"Is he g-going to be alright?" Hermione's voice shook as she moved out of the way, making room for Draco.

"I believe so. We just need to get him to the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Once he has been cleared by Poppy, the two of you will be taken to Black's."

"Professor, what exactly is wrong with him?"

Snape sucked in a breath. "I will tell you everything I know when we get to Hogwarts, and when I know Draco will recover."

Hermione followed Snape and Draco to the Floo. Once inside, Snape took Draco's unconscious body into his arms. Hermione grabbed the Floo powder and looked at Snape expectantly. He stuck out his elbow, and Hermione laced her arm through his. As she threw the Floo powder, engulfing the three of them in green flames, Snape called out, "Dumbledore!" Moments later, they stepped into the private quarters of Albus Dumbledore.

"Ah. Severus, there you are. Poppy is expecting Mr. Malfoy. You may proceed to the hospital wing. Miss Granger, would you like a lemon drop?"

Dumbledore always seemed to make any situation better. No matter what the gesture, it always seemed to fit the mood and make it lighter. Hermione knew that was what he was doing now.

He didn't want her to worry about Draco, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't know what had happened to him, but she knew he was in this predicament because he was saving her from a curse sent by his father. And knowing Lucius, Draco knew the curse could have been fatal, but he took it anyway.

"Miss Granger, what is troubling you?" Dumbledore asked in a gentle voice. He glanced at Hermione and noticed her worrying her bottom lip.

"It's just... it's my fault, isn't it? Malfoy --" Hermione sighed. "Draco... is in the state he's in because of me."

Dumbledore didn't immediately answer her. He looked at her, seeming to weigh his response and sighed. "Miss Granger," he spoke softly, "I'm not sure you are seeing the whole picture. I remember, not so long ago, that you yourself were in the hospital wing. You were petrified. You had been the innocent victim of a Basilisk. Do you remember? Of course you do. On with my story... dear Ginevra Weasley was feeling much the same way you do right now. She thought all of what happened to be her fault."

"It wasn't Ginny's fault. It was Tom Riddle's fault," Hermione interrupted.

"I'm aware of that, Miss Granger. However, it took a while for Ginevra to acknowledge her own innocence. Why, I don't think she really realized it until she and Harry became an item. She tried so hard to make him stop blaming himself for Sirius, that he forced her to take her own advice. You see, it was Tom's fault then, and it's Lucius Malfoy's fault now. You didn't ask young Draco to take that curse. He did it on his own free will. I will be much mistaken if he doesn't come out of this feeling quite guilty himself."

"It most certainly wasn't Draco's fault," Hermione said indignantly. "He saved my life."

"Ah... he did save you. Even though the curse didn't kill him, it could have. He didn't know what Lucius was going to do. However, if it had hit you, it might not have killed you either. But it probably would have left you with a fate worse than death. Therefore, Mr. Malfoy ensured that you not merely survived, but that you would live. Do not waste his sacrifice by dwelling on guilt, Miss Granger. He deserves better."

Before Hermione could respond, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," said Dumbledore.

Snape had returned from the hospital wing. "Headmaster, Draco is resting now." Snape put a hand up when Hermione started to speak. "He will be fine, Miss Granger. You may go and see him. If you hurry, you can pester Madam Pomfrey with questions before she takes her leave."

"Her leave? Where is she going? Doesn't she need to look after Draco?" Hermione voice was rising.

Snape raised an eyebrow at the use of Draco's given name. Hermione ignored him and waited for an answer to her question.

It was Dumbledore who answered her. "Madam Pomfrey's sister is the nurse for Beauxbatons. She has taken ill and asked if Poppy could step in. The term has already begun for Beauxbatons. She should return by the start of our term. She was about to go when word came that Draco needed her attention. I am assuming, Severus, that she has given Mr. Malfoy the all clear or she wouldn't be leaving."

"Yes, Headmaster. He is sleeping right now. However, Miss Granger will not disturb him with her visit." Snape looked at Hermione pointedly.

"I'm going to see him." Hermione was out of Dumbledore's chamber in a flash.

Dumbledore turned to Snape. "Alright Severus, you've gotten rid of Miss Granger. Tell me. How bad is it?"

Snape gave Dumbledore a grim look before he sighed and sat down.

"Albus, to be honest with you, it's not Draco I'm worried about. Well, not his health anyway. I believe I know the curse that Lucius used. I didn't hear the incantation, but what I saw was unmistakable."

"What did you see, Severus?"

"Black light. It shot straight from his wand and engulfed Miss Granger and Draco. Draco jumped on top of her just as the jet hit them. I don't even think Miss Granger is aware of what happened. I'm not even sure that Draco is aware. But I am positive they are bound."

The twinkle was gone from Dumbledore's blue eyes. He sat heavily behind his desk and thought. "They are just children, Severus. They are already risking their lives for the cause. What happens after the fall of Voldemort? What will happen to them, Severus? I must say, I am deeply worried for them."

"I agree with you, Albus. I can't imagine what they will do when they find out. But what if Draco hadn't been there? Albus, she would be a slave to Lucius Malfoy. She would be no more than a house-elf."

"We need to speak to them as soon as Draco wakes up. They need to know what this means. Their lives will forever be changed by the circumstances of today. Severus, I am not sure what Miss Granger will do when she hears all of this."

"There's more, Albus. When I looked into her memories, it was apparent that Miss Granger was assaulted. Unfortunately, there were some memories missing, so I can't say for sure. However, the state that I found her in indicates that Lucius may have raped her as well."

Dumbledore sat up quickly. "Dear God, Severus! What has he done to that poor girl? I didn't think that was his style."

"I've never seen him like this, Albus," Snape continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Lucius has always been vile, but he's never lost control. I spoke with Narcissa by Floo earlier this morning, and she told me she was leaving, but she wouldn't say where she was going. After losing his wife, and Draco not taking the Mark, I expect Lucius has finally gone mad."

"Severus, Miss Granger is no doubt on the verge of going mad herself after being violated by Lucius Malfoy. She will need the support of everyone when she finds out that she is eternally bound to the Malfoy heir."

"Indeed," said Snape.

Dumbledore looked pensive for a moment, and then he remembered something that had been troubling him. "How did you come to find the two of them, Severus? How did you know they were at the Malfoy manor?"

"When Lucius failed to produce Draco, he was punished. After he fled, Voldemort called a meeting for all the Death Eaters. He told us that Lucius had fled after refusing to kill Draco. I know Lucius. The first place he would have gone is the Manor, looking for Draco. I was pleased that Draco was at Black's, so I Apparated there immediately to warn him."

"When I arrived, Potter informed me that Draco went to the Manor and took Miss Granger there to help him get his things. That's when I went straight to the Manor. Being a close friend of the Malfoy family, I had no trouble getting through the wards." Snape looked unsettled for a moment, and then he continued. "I found them in Draco's bedroom. Draco's trunk was packed and undisturbed while his suitcase and clothing were strewn all over the floor. They must have been surprised."

Dumbledore regarded him for a moment. With a gentle voice he said, "Why don't you go to the hospital wing and look in on them? I have a couple of letters to write. I think we need the services of the only two people who have ever been able to break through Miss Granger's tough exterior."

Snape grimaced. "Yes, of course. I will go while you write your letter to Potter and Weasley. I believe I saw that bloody owl of Potter's hunting the grounds this morning."

Dumbledore gave Snape a sad smile. "She will be traumatized, Severus. The circumstances of what she's been through will hit her, and when it does, she will need those boys."

Snape nodded and stood to leave.

Before he reached the door, however, he was stopped.

"Oh, and Severus?"

"Yes, Albus."

"It's alright to feel a sense of betrayal. Lucius is your oldest friend. You have known Draco since he was born. Whether you want to admit it or not, I know all of this bothers you. However, you did the right thing, Severus. Your actions got those children out of there as quickly as you could. Merlin only knows where Lucius is."

Snape chose his words carefully. He didn't want the old man to think he was getting weak. "Albus, my concerns are not for Lucius. To be honest with you, they are not completely for Draco either. Miss Granger, as you say, will probably suffer more than anyone."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at this admission. Snape knew the Headmaster could see right through him without using Legilimency.

Snape sighed. "She was one of my students, Albus. She is also a child who shouldn't be involved in a fight that started so long ago. None of these children should. Not even Potter. And yet, here we are. So if it makes you happy, yes, I am concerned. And before you give me any more praise, I should have gone straight to the Manor as soon as I left the Dark Lord. If I had, perhaps none of this would have happened."

"Severus."

"No, Albus. I will take my leave now. I want to check on Draco and the girl. Write your letter."

Hermione made her way down to the hospital wing at the same time Madam Pomfrey was leaving.

Madam Pomfrey gave Hermione a sad smile, which Hermione returned. "How is he?" The nurse smiled again and said softly, "He'll be alright. He's sleeping very peacefully right now. He should be up and about in a couple of days."

"A couple of days? What do you mean, 'a couple of days'? What's the matter with him? If he's just sleeping, he should be up in a few hours, shouldn't he?" Hermione was in a state of shock.

"Oh it will take at least a couple of days in order for his magic to be replenished. Mr. Malfoy is a pureblood wizard, Miss Granger. The hit he took, although not fatal, was very powerful."

Hermione nodded her head and asked, "Madam Pomfrey, may I see him? I won't disturb him. I just -- I need to see him."

"Of course you may see him. You won't bother him. He won't wake until his mind is ready."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. I hope everything goes well with your sister."

"Thank you, dear. She'll be fine. She just got into a nasty bit of Bubotuber pus. I should be back by the start of term. Take care of yourself, Miss Granger."

Hermione entered the room quietly. She looked around the room to see if there was anything out of the ordinary to contradict what Madam Pomfrey had said. There weren't empty potion bottles around his bed. There were no vials littering the trash can. There was only Draco.

She stood stock still for a moment. Slowly, she walked over and took the chair next to his bed. Gone was the sneer that was usually in place even though they were friends now. Gone was the look of superiority that he held in their school days. Also gone was the laughter in his face and the light in his eyes that she had grown to adore in their recent years. Hermione sighed sadly and whispered, "Oh, Malfoy, what I wouldn't give to see that superior sneer that you once graced us with."

"I can't call you Malfoy now, can I? No. You stopped being Malfoy the second you stepped between your father and me. If I were being honest with myself, you stopped being Malfoy the day you came over to our side. When you wake up, we'll talk. I need to understand what motivated you to do what you did."

"You have to be alright, Draco. You have to be. You have to wake up and be alright so I can hit you for putting your life in danger just for me. You knew what Lucius was capable of. Why would you take that curse? You have to wake up because I need answers. You know me, 'little miss know-it-all.' I have to know what he did to you -- what he tried to do to me."

Hermione didn't realize when the tears had started to pour out of her, but when she did, she couldn't stop them.

Hermione was being shaken. "No. Not again. Please."

"Miss Granger, you need to wake up. Come now. You need to lie down properly so you can get some rest. This has been a most stressful day for you."

Hermione raised her head and looked around. She had cried herself to sleep, and her head was lying on the mattress next to Draco. She didn't even remember taking his hand, but she was holding it with her fingers interlaced with his. She didn't let go immediately as Professor Snape's face came into focus.

"Professor, I don't want to leave him. I need to be here when he wakes up. Can't I stay?"

Snape eyed her for a moment and then nodded. "You may sleep in the empty cot next to Draco." When Hermione didn't move immediately, Snape looked at her questioningly. His eyes darted to their clasped hands and then back to her. "Miss Granger, may I ask you something? Why did you refer to Mr. Malfoy by his given name? I understand, until recently, that you and Draco were still on a surname basis. I know it's trivial and somewhat juvenile that I would be interested, but I am curious."

Hermione stared directly into the professor's eyes and answered, "After everything we have been through together, it would be trivial and juvenile for me to continue to call him 'Malfoy.' It's just right, isn't it? It's just seems right for me to call him by his name."

Snape regarded her for a moment and then nodded. "Indeed. Good night, Miss Granger." Then he swept out of the room.

Getting into her own bed, Hermione sighed. Speaking to an absent Professor Snape, she muttered, "And one day, Professor, perhaps you could call me 'Hermione.' After all, you've seen me naked."

Just outside the entrance to the hospital wing, a very tired Professor Snape cursed himself for actually blushing at the young woman's words. What am I--a first year? With his scowl properly in place, he left the corridor and headed to his own quarters. A nice glass of Firewhiskey was in order. He needed to prepare for what tomorrow would bring.

Sometime during the night, Draco stirred and opened his eyes. He looked around him and felt a wave of relief hit him when he realized he was at Hogwarts. As he replayed the events of the previous day, his mind raced. He heard a muffled cry and turned to see Hermione asleep in the cot next to him. Instead of waking her, he turned his head back to stare at the ceiling.

Draco almost woke her, but thought better of it. She would wake soon enough, and when she did, he would have to tell her everything. He knew this wasn't going to be easy; he just hoped she wouldn't hate him. "Oh, bugger. What have you done?" Draco was speaking to himself.

At the sound of Draco's voice, Hermione woke with a start. She looked around her, and her eyes landed on the boy in the cot next to her. It took a moment for her to realize that he had his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. As she looked closer, she noticed that he had a single tear falling from the corner of his eye into his hairline.

Before Hermione could react to his waking, Draco spoke. "There's something... something I have to tell you. You need to know... " Hermione finally snapped out of her daze.

"No, Draco. Shh! Don't talk. I need to get the Headmaster and Professor Snape."

"Granger, wait... "

"I will just be a moment. I can Floo call them."

"But, I have to tell you something important."

"It can wait."

"Damn it, Hermione. Just listen to me." Hermione stopped in her tracks. In all the years she'd know him, he'd never used her first name.

"You just called me Hermione." It wasn't a question.

Draco looked at her, confused. "I had to get your attention. Besides... " He managed a slight smirk. "You called me Draco earlier. I heard you."

Hermione schooled her features. "Yes. Well, you saved my life. I couldn't very well keep calling you by your surname." Hermione looked at her hands and added, "I owe you my life."

"You don't owe me anything. I, however, owe you an apology, and I also owe you an explanation."

"You want to apologize for saving my life?" Hermione was appalled.

"No, No. You see, there's more." Draco tried to sit up, but he was very weak.

"No. Lie back down. I really need to get Professor Snape."

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired. I really need to tell you something important." Draco sat up and turned to look at Hermione. "Do you have your wand? We need some light in here."

Hermione hesitated for a moment and spoke softly. "Draco, your father broke our wands when he attacked us."

Draco sighed. "No problem, this might be easier to say in the dark. It's about the spell he used. I know what the spell was, Hermione. I think I knew what it was going to be even before he cast it."

"Are you sure we don't need the professors?" Hermione was beginning to get nervous and impatient. She wanted to know what it was, but at the same time, she was terrified to find out.

"No. Just let me finish this, please. I may not have the nerve to tell you later."

"Okay. But budge over, will you?"

Draco furrowed his brow at her, but did as she asked. Hermione sat down on the edge of the bed, facing him.

Draco didn't comment on this sudden move. "The curse Lucius used on you is an ancient curse that was once used by some of the oldest pureblood wizards. They don't use it anymore. It is a curse that binds a house-elf."

Hermione was a very captivated audience. Her eyes widened at the thought of a house-elf being hit with such a curse. Then it struck her as odd. "Why is it not being used anymore?"

"They don't use it anymore because most house-elves are already bound to a family."

"What about the ones who are free, like Dobby?

Draco hid a wince at the thought of his childhood friend. Losing Dobby still hurt. "Actually, I was getting to that. Believe it or not, the Department for Control of Magical Creatures lobbied against this practice because was too barbaric."

"I remember hearing Lucius' reaction to your campaign against the mistreatment of house-elves. He mentioned something about wishing he could turn you into a house-elf. When he sent the curse at you, I knew what it was the second I saw it come out of his wand. He wanted to turn you into his house-elf, Hermione."

Hermione had gone pale. "He wanted to make me his slave? And you knew?" Hermione stood abruptly from the bed. She turned toward the window and just gazed out, lost in thought.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I know this upsets you, but I couldn't let him do that to you. That's why I jumped on you. That's why we are in the situation we are in now."

Hermione rounded on him. "What do you mean we? The curse hit you. Now you're his slave -- because of me!" Tears were streaming down from her eyes now, but she didn't have the strength to wipe them away.

"No, Hermione. We are in this together. Don't you get it? I didn't take the curse. We took it together. However, the circumstances are not the same."

"What do you mean? Am I your slave now? Or do we both belong to your father?"

"We don't belong to anyone except each other. That's the other part of this being an ancient curse. When it's cast on two humans, it binds them together. It was sometimes used for arranged marriages to make sure the spouses stayed faithful to one another."

"You mean to tell me that you and I are slaves to each other?" Hermione sat down hard. She couldn't believe what was happening.

"We aren't slaves to anyone, Hermione. Didn't you listen to what I just said? The curse was used for arranged marriages."

"So we're... I mean, you and I are... married?"

Draco didn't answer her because at that moment, the door banged open, and they were greeted by two very worried men.