Death by Granger

Chapter 24

Light. Bright light. That was the first thing Hermione saw when she opened her eyes. Then she realized that she had manged to open her eyes on her own! She sat up and moved her fingers and found that she was able to move on her own will again. She was awake!

She almost shouted with joy, but stopped at a snore. She turned to the side and found Draco's head on her bed while his body rested in an armchair. She slowly slid out of the bed and made sure she could stand before walking to the other side. She looked around for her wand, and when she couldn't find it, she settled for Wandless magic. She focused and managed to levitate Malfoy onto the bed without waking him up. "Success!" she whispered to herself.

She soon found a door that lead to a bathroom. This must be Malfoy Manor, an en suite to every room. She rolled her eyes and walked in.

She found a mirror and almost jumped out of her skin. Staring back at her was a thin, frail girl with messy brown hair and tired eyes.

Hermione looked closer. She looked terrible, like she hadn't slept in days when she knew she had been asleep for months. A sound from the bedroom caught her attention and she stumbled back to the door. "Malfoy?"

She found him at the door, almost leaving. "Granger? Am I dreaming?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

Hermione smiled from the bathroom doorway and took a few steps forward. "Nope. We're both wide awake."

She took another step and stumbled. She would have fallen if not for Malfoy. "Not fair. I'd have made it there. Your legs are longer than mine."

Draco laughed and helped her stand. "You're awake. You're really awake."

Hermione grinned and hung her arms around his neck so she wouldn't fall again. "Yes, I'm awake and so are you. You're not dreaming."

Draco suddenly picked her up and spun her around. She began to laugh. "Malfoy! Put me down!"

Draco was grinning madly now, seeming to understand that he was awake and so was Hermione. He put her down, but kept his arms around her. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I've waited five months, Granger. You couldn't have used Legilimency earlier?"

Hermione was grinning too. "I only started waking up yesterday. Although it felt like forever."

"You don't know how long these five months have been for us on this side."

"Did Harry or Ron...?"

Draco shool his head, grin gone. "No, I'm sorry. Weaslette and Loony did come visit a few times, and Weaslette brought her mother and brothers once to see you, it was not a good day for me. Belive me, one of the red haired maniacs tried to kill me. It was also quite awkward. Of all the redheads, Weaslette and the one with no ear seemed to be the only ones okay with the whole Death Eater thing. Anyway, Zabini and Nott are almost living here. They come around for breakfast and stay till late. Last night they went home early."

"But, Malfoy. School for you three?"

He shrugged. "We weren't focusing properly anyway."

Hermione laughed. "What is with you?"

"Nothing much. I've just discovered who smells like fire and cinnamon."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Really? And who might that be?"

"Hmm, figure it out, aren't you the brains?"

Hermione smiled. "I think Ronald was actually right about something. Now I know why I smelt burnt hair in the Amortentia."

Draco grinned. "Can I kiss you, Granger?"

Hermione grinned back. "Finally."

"Wha-?"