Until the end Draco x Hermione

Chapter 05 Frustration

It was a large room plunged into darkness. And silence... A long moment of silence. A young girl was standing in the middle, as if lost, trying to understand what was happening around her. Hermione. In the distance stood a figure that she could barely make out. Yet she felt deep down that she knew him. Even though she couldn't see his face, she already knew that she hated him, and that he hated her. Hatred, contempt, anger. So many feelings invaded her at the simple thought of this being who was standing a few meters away from her. And she did not suspect that the same feelings occupied the heart of the stranger in front of her.

The distance between the two individuals soon became shorter, until Hermione finally managed to see the face of this man who had not moved since. And what a surprise it was when she discovered Malfoy's fine features. And never had he looked so beautiful, so graceful, so perfect. All feelings of hatred were gone, replaced by an immense and infinite joy that she could not yet understand. But there they were, both of them, face to face, wishing to prolong this moment ad infinitum, their eyes lost in each other's. The darkness around them had disappeared. Without explanation, they had found themselves in a kaleidoscope of bright, warm lights. Hermione felt safe. In Draco's arms, she felt safe and knew in her heart that she had nothing to fear in his presence. Smiling at each other, hand in hand, they turned and walked off into the boundless darkness, but all would be well. The light of their union would illuminate them. Then, nothing. Just black...

Strange smells touched Hermione's nostrils. And they were not foreign to her. Her eyes opened to see a white wall in front of her, with a smiling nurse in a frame. Curtains stood on either side of the bed in which she lay. Soon Mrs. Pomfrey burst into her field of vision.

- Ah, Miss Granger, you're awake.

She grabbed a stainless-steel glass from the table and poured a strange liquid from a strange bottle. She handed it to Hermione, who was still trying to piece together bits of her strange dream.

- How did I get here?" she managed to say.

- Mr. Malfoy was kind enough to bring you here. Here, have a drink, it will make you feel better. What an idea to walk around the castle in hypothermia, Miss Granger!

The young Gryffindor grabbed the glass and glanced down at the contents. How? Draco brought her here to the infirmary? Why would he do that?

- It's a good thing he found you," the head nurse added. Otherwise you would have frozen to death. Anyway, now you're much better and that's all that matters. Well, I'll let you get some rest.

Hermione didn't understand. Obviously, this dream had shaken her up; Malfoy would find her and bring her back? Strange... Why would he do that? She didn't want to think about it anymore. Sure, the echo of his name kept ringing in her head, but she preferred to forget about this mysterious being for a moment and concentrate on the dream she had just had. She was asking herself so many questions and, in her head, the last symptoms of her illness were striking. She even wondered if what she had experienced there were not the consequences, for she could have sworn she had dreamed that she felt safe with Draco Malfoy! This was all far too strange for her, and she refused to dwell on useless and inconsistent thoughts. Exhausted, she took Mrs. Pomfrey's advice hoping to find some relief and went back to sleep.

*

- Hey Draco! Where the hell were you last night?" barked Goyle's greasy voice.

- Are we dating, or are we married so I can report my every move to you? You idiot!

Sitting in all his glory in a black leather chair, the Slytherin was deep in thought and it was difficult to determine whether his thoughts were accompanied by doubt, pride or fear. What was noticeable, however, was that his silver-blue eyes reflected a kind of confusion; what was Hermione thinking right now, after their evening and after he had carried her to the infirmary? Was she sad? Angry? Disappointed? Relieved? Happy, perhaps? And was he? Could he afford to be? He was still torn between two feelings, a deep and indescribable joy and a growing guilt. He wanted to convince himself that he had a right to some happiness, but current events seemed to leave no room for his feelings.