Project 137.43.M.D.

XLIX. | EO IPSO

XLIX.
EO IPSO
(that itself; not comparable)

It was gentle hands that woke Draco from his deep sleep.

After lying on his sofa for a few minutes, he had stood up and eaten something. Then he had made it into the shower to wash off the dirt and sweat from three days of captivity before finally flopping onto his bed face-down and falling asleep in that position.

Now he blinked tiredly as he came to.

Hermione was kneeling on the floor in front of his bed, eyes wide and lips trembling. She frowned in concern as she ran flying hands through his hair and across his cheeks.

Draco realized that, once again, she must have magically gained access to his apartment. It was apparently becoming a habit, but he didn't blame her.

"Oh Merlin," she whispered when she saw that he was awake, relief evident in her voice. Then she seemed to snap out of her trance and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Draco slowly rolled onto his back, moaning softly. He allowed her to frantically cast a few simple Diagnostic Spells at him to make sure he was uninjured.

"Granger," he murmured under his breath, grasping her wand hand. She didn't answer and he adopted a more emphatic tone. "Hermione, I'm fine."

Eventually his words got through to her and she looked at him, tears suddenly running down her cheeks. Draco had never really seen her cry before, except perhaps for that brief moment in the Ministry when his memory had been restored. She said nothing, but her whole body was shaking, so he gently pulled her into his arms.

She wrapped all of her limbs around his body and he just held her tight, running a hand up and down her back soothingly. A few seconds later their lips met and Draco couldn't help but breathe a little faster as she kissed him longingly. His free hand found her face and he wiped away the tears leaving salty marks on her skin. He gave in to the feeling of their kiss until she finally pulled away and sniveled softly.

"What happened?" she asked, sounding exhausted. Along with that, he noticed the dark shadows under her eyes and realized in astonishment that her concern for him must be the reason.

Damn it, what kind of world had he been thrown into? In what universe would Hermione-war-heroine-Granger worry about him of all people while his former friends tortured and threatened him? It was fucking absurd.

He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers while burying his fingers in her curls.

"Pansy and Nott," he finally murmured in resignation. "Nott ambushed me while I was jogging. He stunned me and put me in their basement. They tried to intimidate me. It's not worth worrying about. It was pretty pathetic, really."

It was admittedly a feeble attempt to calm her down, and Draco could tell from the look on her face that he hadn't quite succeeded. Hermione was visibly shocked, her eyes widening again and her lips tightening. He suspected she was trying not to swear.

"They tortured you."

It was a statement, not a question. Either had she noticed the tremor in his hands and correctly interpreted it, or one of her Diagnostic Spells had told her so. Draco wasn't sure, but he shrugged.

"It wasn't that dramatic."

"They used the Cruciatus!"

"Doesn't matter."

"I will kill them myself."

"Granger."

He gave her a warning look, but at the same time had to suppress a smile because, despite the seriousness of the situation, she actually pursed her lips in disgust at the sound of her last name. That made him lean in once more and kiss her again. It was more demanding this time. He suspected Hermione would stop him and instead demand to hear everything that had happened at Nott's, but she surprised him.