Shattered | Hermione x Draco

The Beginning

Weeks pass quickly since the Order meeting, nobody noticed our absence or that something changed. Draco is only a ghost of who he was, but I tried talking to him, everyone tried, but he is not sharing anything with us. He is paler than ever before and losing weight, even his hair is getting thinner.

I hate seeing him like this, but we tried everything. Every bit of information Blaise and I gathered about Albus, we shared. We tried doing it casually, when we were all sitting together and quite vague, but Draco didn't respond to it, didn't even lift his head to look up at us.

He has been locking himself in the Room of Requirement every spare moment he has. If he didn't have us the Professors would notice his lack of homework, luckily Blaise and Theo had the same teacher when they were younger and have almost the same handwriting. Each evening they lay his homework on his nightstand, he hasn't even mentioned it to them.

We are all scared for Draco, the end of the school year is nearing and it seems like he is failing at his task. The Dark Lord's punishment won't be light, might even kill him and that is something we would not be able to handle. We can't lose him. I don't want to imagine how it will feel through the bond, I don't think I could survive losing him.

We are all restless as the last week of school started and there is no sight of a plan. We haven't heard from the Dark Lord, nobody has been summoned in months.

I am wandering the halls, enjoying the warmth of the coming summer. Someone wraps an arm around me, the hand pressing over my mouth as I get pulled back. Instead of getting scared, I focus on my magic and send it all over my body.

Draco cries out as the stinging hex hits on every part of his body that is touching me, which is almost his whole body.

I whirl around and see him sagged against the wall. "What the fuck," I gasp.

"Sorry," he wheezes as the trembles start to lessen.

"Why would you do that?" I demand.

He looks up, his eyes dim and filled with unshed tears. I drop to my knees and hold his hands, which are still slightly twitching and pull on the magic I used to hurt him, taking it back to my own body.

"What's wrong?" I whisper, holding on to him.

"I'm going to die," his lip trembles.

I shake my head. "No, you are not. No. No...no..." I shake my head. "I won't let that happen."

"He's going to kill me," he stares at me, the tears spilling over.

I push him further in the alcove and hide us as I crawl over his legs and straddle him. "He's not. Let me help you. Please," I beg, I feel panic clawing at my heart.

"How? I don't know how," he grits out. "I tried everything."

I wave up a bubble, drowning out all the sounds and adding privacy around us. People won't find us or hear us. Our own little pocket of space in this wretched world.

"My task, I can't," he is breathing fast and unevenly.

I lay my hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at me and show him how I take deep calming breaths.

He leans forward, our foreheads touching each other, while staring. I take in his eyes, noting every change in them, they have lost their shine, the small specks of pure silver in them. The gray changed too, becoming darker.

"Open your bond to me, only me," I whisper, closing my eyes and shifting slightly, my lips touching his cheek.

I feel him open up, the emotions overwhelming. It's been so long since I felt him through the bond. He is filled with panic, pain, desperation and utter soul deep grief.