Get Well Soon

Chapter 5: Shame On Me

Hermione's mind raced like a runaway broomstick, darting from one thought to the next with lightning speed. Why did she allow Draco to treat her so horribly? How in Merlin's name could she find herself in the predicament of falling for someone like him? And above all else, why was Draco pretending to be enamored with her?

Was it all just an act on his part, fueled by his deep-seated hatred for her? It seemed like the only plausible explanation.

But amidst the turmoil of her thoughts, one thing remained crystal clear: Draco needed a friend, even if he didn't realize it himself.

He seemed so isolated, with no one to truly care for him. Hermione recalled his revelation about burning bridges, and it struck a chord within her.

Reflecting on that first strange night with Draco at her shop, Hermione's memory felt fragmented, like pieces of a puzzle scattered in the recesses of her mind.

She hadn't thought about it much since, but Hermione could only seem to remember glimpses. She pushed aside those unsettling recollections and focused on her current struggles.

She could only come up with one answer to most of her burning questions... Hermione was also a broken person, and that's why she continued to help him, feeling drawn to his darkness.

Idly tracing her fingertips over the concealed scar, Hermione glanced down at her charmed forearm. Bellatrix had once carved the word 'Mudblood' into her flesh, and she'd never fully recovered from the embarrassment and degradation. Because of this, Hermione kept it hidden with a small concealment charm.

The trauma of those dark days after the war had left her haunted by nightmares, driving her to seek solace in dangerous potions and illicit substances.

Ron kept begging her to attend therapy, but she did not take his advice then, choosing instead to lean into a different type of "therapy".

She'd started to cope with her trauma in disturbing ways. Hermione had become addicted to the elixir of euphoria, as well as the draught of living dead. She regularly mixed them with liqueur and a few different varieties of common muggle drugs.

Her descent into addiction had cost her dearly, stripping away her career at St. Mungo's Hospital and driving a wedge between her and Ron. Eventually, Ron broke things off with her, giving up on her entirely. Something Hermione could never do to someone, no matter how bad things got.

Hermione supposed that was her greatest motivation for wanting to help Draco. She refused to give up on him, understanding all too well the pain of being abandoned by those closest to her.

Hermione had been blessed to have Harry and Ginny to fall back onto, but Draco didn't seem to have anyone.

What's worse, he seemed to be suicidal and she couldn't, with good conscience, turn her back on someone in such dire need, even if that someone was a complete twat most of the time. Even if that someone had been her tormentor in school.

She barely understood it herself, but as a healer, it was ingrained in Hermione's nature to offer compassion and support to those in distress. She was determined to break through Draco's walls, to show him that he wasn't alone. That he didn't need to silently drown.

Despite his prickly exterior and caustic demeanor, she saw glimpses of vulnerability beneath the surface. She looked at him and saw a boy who suffered greatly at the hands of those who should have protected him.

Hermione looked at Draco and saw someone worth saving.

*****

Hermione swiftly showered and slipped into a pair of jeans, throwing on her old Quidditch tee from her Hogwarts days. She couldn't resist the idea of seeing Draco's reaction to her Gryffindor emblem. With a grin, she made her way into the kitchen, only to freeze in the doorway at the comical sight that greeted her.