Unbroken

Tuesday, Week 2 (2)

Draco POV

I'm standing here looking at Granger while she cries over Boss and I feel my own pain start to rise again. He's lying in that hospital bed because of me. He's teetering on the cusp of death because of me. He risked his life to save me. After everything I've done, how much of a bastard I've been, he gave everything to save my life. How the fuck am I not supposed to feel guilty?

"You better come back to me, Harry Potter." I hear Granger tell the great man. I silently agree with her sentiment and mentally send the same command to him.

"Don't worry, he will, Hermione," I reassure myself but say to her.

She's momentarily surprised but I can tell she's thankful for my presence as I am of hers. I take a look into her brown eyes and see hints of sadness and pain along with a bit of happiness pooling within them. I figure it must be because Boss is looking ten times better than he was yesterday. He was always a remarkably fast healer.

I sit across from Granger on the opposite side of Harry's bed and let my eyes wander over him for the first time since he's been here. I can admit that I'm shell shocked at the sight of the usually strong and firm Harry Potter looking so...weak and fragile. It's like something out of a fever dream or nightmare with no roots in reality.

"He looks so different," Granger weakly tells me with her sobs muffling some of the words.

"He does," I mournfully reply as my guilt chokes me like a noose around my neck.

I can't stop myself from taking full responsibility for this. If I wasn't so loyal to my bastard father, Harry would be safe right now. If I hadn't frozen up when Harry blasted the fucker out of his seat, he would be safe right now. If I was more aware of the building collapsing, we both would be safe and sound right now. I made so many mistakes yesterday and it's impossible for me not to feel like I'm a shit Auror.

"He's a damn good Auror."

Boss' words remind me of his belief in me. He made sure to credit me for Caldwell's arrest and gave me as much praise as he could. He truly believed in my talents as an Auror and, somehow, I find his praises much more significant than any of my bastard father's and Voldemort's.

With Boss out of commission for the next week or two and back to school shopping set to begin next week, I know we have to keep our heads on a swivel until he rejoins the fight. Dolohov, by now, must know that Harry is alive. That should prevent him from sending another attack on muggleborn children even if Harry is out of commission for now. I don't think Dolohov is dumb enough to murder another child because when Boss wakes and finds out about it, the warpath he'll go on would be catastrophic.

My father is still alive, I know. When I recovered from the stunner that hit me, I never noticed his body or any sign of him in the building before it all went to shit and Harry saved my life shortly after. The fucker is still out there and, from what I now know about this case, is my next target. Like Dolohov to Harry, he's made this case personal to me. It's high time I stopped letting him play and disappoint me. It's high time I put Lucius Fucking Malfoy down for good.

Tomorrow's the Minister's Ball and I don't feel like going but I'm going to end up there anyway. I promised Gin I would take her and I know Boss would chastise me for worrying about him when he's safe and sound in the hospital. I can almost hear him saying something along the lines of 'You don't worry about me! I worry about you!'.

"Hermione, are you going to the Ball tomorrow?" I ask her once I realize she's still with me and I've been lost in my own thoughts.

"No," she replies flatly. Yeah, I knew she wasn't coming but I get the sense Boss wouldn't want that for her. He'd want her to be happy and not pause her life because she wants to worry about him.