This Bitter Earth

EIGHT

A huge thank you to mysweet_bree for betaing this chapter for me and and dealing with me when I was freaking out and re-reading everything as many times as I asked her to. THANK YOU BREE!

Soundtrack- "Lexington" by Chiodos and "Hurt" by SYML

EIGHT

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Hermione woke up feeling warm. No, not just warm- hot. Sweltering. It never felt this hot in the tent. They often cast warming charms, which wore off by morning and the chill of winter always found a way to seep in, but now the warmth was unbearable. She moaned, pulling at the blanket on her, trying to shed it and dispel some of the heat trapped with her.

Something stopped her. Something heavy.

She tried to twist under it and groaned against the weight. Immediately, she could feel the difference in her throat; it was not nearly as tender and sore as it had been and only a little tickle of discomfort was left. At least the heat was good for something even if it did feel like it was suffocating her.

The heavy thing moved, sliding up her body and Hermione wrinkled her nose before blearily opening her eyes, blinking them a few times as blurry images came into focus.

A head, a face, and finally mist grey eyes that were looking down at her with a little crooked smile carved onto a white marble face.

"Hello, Sweetheart."

Maybe she was hallucinating again or still delirious. Hermione could remember bits from last night- boots in the snow, the Death Eater coming for her... She had thought it was another fever dream! But it had felt real, too real, and now the face in front of her wasn't coming out of the back of her mind, it was hanging over her, looking down at her and it wasn't just a figment based on a memory anymore. It was actually-

"D-Draco?"

Draco's smile expanded, showing off straight, white teeth. "I'm here. You're here."

He lowered his face closer to hers and Hermione felt woozy as she stared up at him, hardly daring to believe her eyes. His jaw seemed sharper, but not like it was when he dropped weight last year, no... now it was firmer. There was more muscle there under the greying skin. Goodness, but the longer she looked at him the worse he looked. The dark bags were under his eyes again and his lids hung heavily over them, like he hadn't slept properly in weeks. Or months.

But the smile was the same one she remembered from their night in the Room of Requirement, lighting up the tired shadows on his face.

He was here. With her. Really with her. Hermione's heart beat a little faster, anxious to believe the truth right in front of her face. Each small thump felt like it was beating against a bruise; sending out a twinge of pain that bled away to be replaced by a thick coat of relief, washing over the wounded area, soothing it.

All the pain from the last six months was still there, but now that he was here too it felt like it could finally start to heal. And so could she. The new knowledge of what he had tried to do, what he had been willing to do, made it possible for them to be together. She had denied the fact that she still loved him, still wanted him, because she couldn't imagine a future with them together while Draco was still a Death Eater. It was impossible.

But this wasn't! It had happened, he had found her and they were here... but, where was here? Her cot in the tent certainly didn't feel like this.

Hermione didn't remember much and it was all still hazy and distant. He he hadn't been, Draco had been there and she could remember the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around her. She sank into them, not that she had much of a choice, but if she had, she would have made this one. It hadn't mattered that cold air whipping around them as stars sped past because his deep, commanding voice whispered in her ear, "I've got you, kitten. And I'm never letting you go again."