Absolute Power

18 - The Sister

Two updates in one night, I must be feeling generous. Enjoy xx

"Granger? Look at me! Are you okay? Where are you hurt?" Draco's gruff voice cuts through her grief-stricken haze. She shakes her head, and her knees buckle beneath her, but before she hits the grass, Draco curses and picks her up effortlessly. She struggles against him and pushes his chest.

"Get off me! Get off me!" She screams, tears streaking down her face. He remains stoic and crosses the wards, their disguises dropping the second they do so. "We need to help them! We can help him!" Her pushing slowly turns to punching as he refuses to put her down, just stalks quickly to the front door of the mansion.

"We can't do anything, Granger." He says softly, despite his hard face.

"Put- put me down!" She hiccups. "I need to go back, I need-"

"You're not going anywhere." He growls, his arms tightening around her. "You'll only get yourself hurt."

"Like you give a shit!" She crows, her struggles increasing.

He lets out a shaky breath but doesn't let her go. "I do." He says quietly.

Hermione stops her struggling, wiping angrily at her tears. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not-"

"Don't fucking lie to me." She snarls and successfully pushes herself out of his grip as it loosens, only to fall to the floor with a thump. He gives her a pained look, but she scampers away from him. "I'm so sick of this... this hot and cold with you, Malfoy. Just leave me alone." Her heart crumbles as she spits the words at him and watches his face fall, but she's too angry to take them back.

How dare he? How dare he pretend to be her friend, then insult her at every chance he gets, just to say he cares about her safety. Whatever game he's playing at, Hermione wants none of it.

She leaves him standing in the garden and runs into the Manor, away from him and the confusing way he makes her feel. Away from his stupid face that makes her want to cry, but also makes her want to kiss him. Away from his words that cut her down in the same breath they build her up.

She was so sick of Draco Malfoy.

"What happened?" Daphne rushes out of the Manor and up to Draco, running her hands over him as she checks for any injuries.

"I'm fine." He brushes her hands away when she reaches up to the small cut on his forehead. "We had a run-in with some death eaters, but we got away. We're both fine."

"Where's Hermione?" Pansy joins them, eyes wide in panic.

"She's..." Draco trails off, looking pained.

"What happened?" Pansy grabs his arm. "What did you do?"

"Why do you just immediately assume it had something to do with me?" Draco rips his arm from her hands.

"Because you look guilty, my friend." Blaise and Theo join the group, the latter fixing him with a disappointed look. Draco sighs and runs a hand over his face.

"A couple of guys we met there got killed, and she wanted to go back, but I wouldn't let her."

"She's upset because you stopped her from getting herself killed?" Blaise quirks an eyebrow.

"Not exactly," Draco mutters. He explains the resulting admission and her reaction and looks up to find Pansy and Daphne glaring daggers at him.

"You're a bloody idiot, Draco Malfoy!" Pansy punches him in the arm before storming inside, presumably to find her new friend.