Signum Vitalis (a dramione story)

Magic Potions Time in the Moonlight

During the following week, Hermione continued her hectic schedule of schoolwork and wondered if it was even necessary to continue her therapy and AA meetings. She needed all the time she could get for schoolwork and she had managed the first few steps and hadn't really craved a potion in weeks. In fact, the next full moon Hermione decided to skip her usual AA meeting to pull a very late night in the lab with Draco so they could use all the full moon's light they could get.

The other two groups had the same idea and they all worked side by side until about one in the morning when a light snow storm came through. The other groups scrambled to the outer rooms to watch the snow dust across the unmarred landscape. Hermione paused to stare up through the skylights to watch the snow flit past the glinting stars and round heavy moon.

Draco glanced up from his cutting board. "Not going to watch with them?"

As she tilted her head even farther back, her mouth thinned. "No."

"Isn't this your first real winter since Hogwarts?"

"Doesn't mean I'm dying to see snow." It was pretty, of course, but what she really wasn't dying to see was the dark forest that sat just past the pretty white flakes.

When the storm passed the rest of the groups came back in, chatting and shivering, and began to pack up. There was a chorus of yawns which Hermione couldn't help joining into. Draco gave her annoyed look before yawning himself and then looked even more disgruntled.

"We don't have to stay the whole night," she said. "We've made some good progress."

He shook his head. "The monkshood's magical properties will best be brought out under full moonlight."

The other groups finished cleaning their stations, put their potions on stasis, and started filing out. Gradually the chatter died away and left silence in its place. She stifled another yawn and waited for Draco to look irritated again.

Instead, he stopped and rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. "I'm going to go clear snow from the skylight."

"Luna said that they kept some outdoor brooms in the supplies room."

He set down his knife and tucked his wand into his jacket. "Coming? The cold would wake you up."

Hermione shook her head even as the reminder pulled another yawn from her.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I hate flying," she admitted, glancing down at her pestle.

"We'll be on a broom for maybe thirty seconds," he said, a smirk starting. "You can't survive being on a broom for that long?"

Frowning, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You can't cajole me into this. Besides, it's not just that."

The semi-smirk still on his face, he sat down on a stool, rested his chin a hand, and raised an eyebrow.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's the forest."

When Draco frowned she knew he didn't understand.

She sighed and looked up towards the rafters. "You know I was on the run for most of our seventh year and a lot of it was spent in Dean's forest." Her eyes traced the wood planks, trying not to, but still remembering. "I would stand guard, convinced each rustle was someone who had finally found us. That my spells had failed." She blinked away tears that had started to form and glanced sideways at Draco, who had sat up straight. Under his gaze, she didn't think it sounded like much. She hurried to try to convey how it had felt. "That Horcrux made everything worse. When I wore it I was convinced Ron leaving was my fault. That he hated me and that Harry might hate me too because of it. Even without it on I knew that we only had one wand between us and that if we were ever separated it would be near impossible for me to find Harry again. I see those woods and all I can think about is..." She stopped and wiped at her cheeks. It still sounded stupid.