||Now It's Just Us||

Chapter 27

When their feet touched solid ground, Draco's agonised cry of pain split the night air. The gash in his leg had opened up harshly, and he lay sobbing in pain. 

"I'm so sorry," Hermione knew she had to stay level headed. But how could she? After all that had happened, how could she be level headed?

She took his hand in hers and let him squeeze it as she healed his leg again. This time he cried out every few seconds, because Hermione's hands were shaking, and she was too disturbed to be gentle. She kept whispering 'I'm sorry' over and over again, although she wasn't quite sure what she was apologising for. 

The irony of the situation was almost humorous. The first time she had been in the same position, had been with Harry and Ron. Now she was in that postion again, but this time it was because of Harry and Ron.

Perhaps she would have laughed had not been for the metallic smell of blood that filled the night air.

By the time she was done, he had passed out. 

She collapsed next to him, stretched out on the ground. To say she was exhausted was a gross understatement. The ground beneath her was cold and hard, preparing itself for the coming winter. The leaves scattered under her provided no comfort whatsoever, but only added to her discomfort by being prickly and annoying.

Her dress was ruined. She felt bad about it, considering the fact that Narcissa had paid a hundred and fifty galleons for it. A mirthless laugh escaped her lips. After everything, she was still concerned about her dress. 

She closed her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them again, she was surprised at the change in lighting of the sky. Had she really fallen asleep? 

Draco.

"Draco?" she called tentatively. 

"I'm here," he said from beside her. They were still holding hands, somehow. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Hermione immediately sat up and looked around. She couldn't remember where she had brought them. 

"Where are we?" Draco asked, his voice bleary from pain and sleep.

"I-I'm not sure," Hermione admitted, ashamed, "I'll go have a look around."

"No," he said instantly, "don't leave me."

Hermione's gaze softened, but her heart broke for him, "I'm not leaving you, I'll only be gone for a few minutes, I promise."

"Promise?" the way he sounded made her heart break to smaller pieces. 

"Yes," she carefully pried her hand away from his and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead hoping it was enough of a reassurance of her return.

Standing up was much more of a struggle then it should have been. Her legs took time to get blood flowing in them again, and her heels didn't help. She transfigured them to resemble normal flats, and then began looking around. 

Oak trees. 

Hermione walked around, trying to figure out where they were. There was an old, hollow tree a little away from where they had landed. At the top, a kite was pierced through one of the branches. It was an old thing, the kite. It was blue and a sliver of the sky could be seen through the rip down its center. Its tail swayed and rustled when the wind hit it. 

They were in the woods near Hermione's neighborhood. That had been her kits when she had been a girl of about five or six.

With her spirits slightly lifted now that she had figured out where they were, she ran back to where Draco was.