Say Something

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning, Draco woke to the sound of running water coming from the loo. He opened his eyes squinting against the light from the window. It was then he realized that he wasn't at home, in fact, he sat in a very uncomfortable position in one of the hospital chairs. No one was in the bed, though he figured Granger was in the bathroom. He slowly got up, stretching out his sore muscles.

Astoria will be wondering where-Wait. What did she care? He grudgingly walked out of the room and made his way to the fireplace where he flooed home.

When he arrived, he immediately went into the kitchen. The effects of his hangover were starting to take its toll, he would definitely need a Hangover potion. He quickly grabbed the small vial in the cabinet and swallowed the whole thing in one gulp. He instantly felt its effects and his throbbing headache slowly disappeared. Walking out of the kitchen, he stumbled upon Astoria eating breakfast by herself at the large dining table. She turned around to glance at him and turned back around without another word.

He noticed his breakfast was already prepared for him at the opposite side of the table, and he made his way over to sit down. "Where were you last night?" she asked casually.

"What do you care?" he snapped.

She shrugged, "Just curious."

Ah, so this was how it's going to be, he thought. "I went back to the hospital last night," he replied, stabbing into his egg with a fork.

"That's good."

"Don't you want to know who I was with?"

"Who were you with?"

"Hermione Granger."

"I see."

He clutched his fork in his hand and stared daggers at his wife. She didn't care at all, his own wife. "Aren't you curious to know what I was doing?"

"That's your business."

"WHY DON'T YOU CARE?!" he yelled at her, startling her enough to drop her utensil.

"You make your own choices! I shouldn't have to care for you!" she shouted back.

"But you're my wife!"

"And you are my husband! And that's not going to change!"

"How do you know, huh?! How do you know that tomorrow I might not come back?!"

"Because the only woman you've actually talked about is Granger! And we all know that her days are numbered! You aren't stupid enough to actually fall for a dead girl!" her words sunk into his soul in a way he had not expected, "Face it, Draco. She's done for."

It angered him. It made him mad beyond reason. All this talk about death. Maybe it wasn't Hermione who had to accept it, maybe it was himself. He stood up, knocking his chair back in the process. He spun around and walked furiously away from the table. Just before he opened the door, he turned his head back, just enough to see his wife, who also stood with enough bravery to know she wasn't upset. "I didn't sleep with her," he told her.

"I know."

•••

He returned to the hospital, not bothering to put on his lab coat. Draco immediately went to Hermione, who he found reading one of his books.

"Hey, Malfoy," she greeted.

"Hi," He seethed, "Need to check your vitals again."

"Is something wrong?"

"No." He sat down roughly on the bed and held the stethoscope to her chest. A million things crossed his mind, enough to make him lose track of her her heart beats. "Malfoy, calm down."

"I am calm!"

"No, please, just take a moment to relax. Breathe." She set her hand in his shoulder, and something inside him twitched. He looked in her yes and saw something strange. The only emotions he had seen from her eyes was either death, sadness, and forget. Today, it was concern. He stopped checking and set his arm down. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a few seconds, he nodded his head and Hermione removed her warm hand from his torso. He repeated his movements again. But as the stethoscope hovered over her heart, something strange occurred. Instead of the slow thumping of her heart, today, it was slightly - very slightly - faster.

"Granger, breathe normally."

"I am."

"No. It's different."

"What's different?"

"Y-Your heart. It's...functioning."

"Isn't it always?"

"No no, this is different. It's...better."

"Really? A-Are you serious?" She asked eagerly.

"Granger, this...this is incredible."

He removed the stethoscope and set it around his neck. He watched her expression, but it seemed she was more confused than excited. "But how is this possible?"

"I don't know. Let me go tell my boss, maybe there's a way we can cure you, Granger! Maybe this is an answer!"

"But, I-"

"Wait here, I can bring the rest of my colleagues. Your heart is strong enough to run tests now," he said excitedly getting up and opening the door.

"Malfoy, wait."

"Wait for what? This is excellent news!"

"Malfoy, please close the door." He could sense the seriousness in her tone, so he did as he was told. He sat back down on the bed and listened to her.

"My heart may sound better, but what if that's just today? Tomorrow might not be the same."

"We may be able to keep your heart beating this way. If we just run some tests-"

"No, Draco. I can't." Something about the way she said his name made him want to shiver. "I just can't bring myself to-"

"To what? Survive? To have a chance? Granger, you can live!"

"But what if I don't want to live anymore?!" She yelled. It wasn't what she said that shocked Draco to the bone, it was how she said it. She was so serious about it that even he lost a little faith. "I-I don't understand..." he said breathlessly.

She looked down at her lap, so he could no longer see her eyes. "I have nothing to live for anymore. I have no one. My two best friends are dead. My parents....they're happier without me."

"How can you think this way, Granger?How can you deny your only chance of living?"

She shook her head, "It's not worth it anymore."

"They would want you to live Granger. Potter and Weasley-"

"-Are waiting for me. They're waiting for me to walk into that bright light so we can be reunited again. Down here, I have no one."

It astounded him. It absolutely astounded him to think she'd rather be dead than given a chance at life. He knew she accepted death, but what he didn't know was that she sought it. In a way it wasn't that poison that was killing her, it was herself. And somehow in that moment, Hermione Granger lost all faith, all because her heart beated a little faster.