||Now It's Just Us||

Chapter 26

"Blaise left a note," Draco said, picking up a piece of parchment from the kitchen table. He unfolded the parchment and cleared his throat.

"Read it out," Hermione suggested.

"'Hermione, I thank you for everything. But I don't thank you for warding the firewhiskey away. Luna came here. We figured something out, maybe I'll tell you later. Thank you again. Love, Blaise'," Draco handed the note to her, with the beginnings of a sneer on his face, "why did he write 'love' at the end?"

"Because we're friends, and friends love each other," Hermione said. 

"He doesn't have to write it every time, though," Draco's voice had the tiniest hint of a grumble.

"What is this I'm seeing?" Hermione feigned incredulity, "Draco Malfoy, jealous?"

"Not jealous," he scoffed, but Hermione didn't miss the slight fluster, "I'm merely asking."

"Alright," Hermione said, battling her laughter away.

She was about to say something else, but she stopped. Draco was walking to the living room to place his outer cloak on the couch. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong. But Hermione was experienced in detecting any signs of injury. The way he walked was stiff, and unless her eyes were deceiving her, which was very unlikely, there was a neigh unnoticeable limp in his right leg.

"Stop."

He turned to look at her when she spoke. Hermione glared at him.

"You hurt your leg," she started, challenging him to dare contradict her, "at Hogsmeade, am I correct?"

He said nothing and looked at her with a mixture of guilt and shame.

"You could have told me!" Hermione stalked forward, her pink dress swaying behind her. She forced him to sit down, then cast a diagnosis charm on him. 

She felt the blood drain from her face as she saw what had happened. On the length of his right leg from his knee to his ankle was a large gash, badly serrated and torn. It wasn't bleeding, however.

"How did you stop the blood loss?" Hermione asked pointedly, "The injury is magical, not just a knife slash."

"Dittany," Draco gritted out. Hermione imagined that now that his pain numbing spell had been lifted, he was experiencing the complete feeling. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

Hermione summoned a glass and her bottle of blood replenishing potion.

"Please don't make me drink that," he said pathetically.

"Drink," Hermione ordered, holding the glass to his lips. He made a face, but drank without further protest.

The moment he was done, Hermione healed his leg. She made sure to be extremely gentle, and carried the process out slowly, careful not to be too brash. He hissed once, clenching his jaw and turning away. He rested his head on his hand, and scrunched his eyes closed. 

"You are such an imbecile, I can't even begin to tell you how stupid you've been," Hermione stood when she had finished, not giving him a chance to speak, "you danced with that leg do you know the damage that it could have caused if you wouldn't have had Dittany? Do you have any idea how serious the injury is?"

He only stared at her, looking apologetic. But she would have none of it.

"Who was it?" Hermione asked snappishly, crossing her arms across her chest, "At Hogsmeade, who was it?"

"I don't know, I didn't get a chance to see," Draco said dejectedly, "I followed him into one of the back streets, keeping my distance. He stopped when he reached a dead end, turned around and shot a spell at me. It slashed my leg. I couldn't move, so I couldn't defend myself. He stunned me and left. I was unconscious for a while, I think. That's why I took time in getting back."