Saved by Malfoy*

Chapter 25

Draco's P.O.V

I'd waited close to ten minutes for Hermione to come back out. I knocked on the bathroom door.

"Y - yeah?"

"You've gotta come out here for me to heal you," I stated.

"I can't do it. I'm not coming out," she whimpered.

"Alohomora," I muttered, unlocking the door.

Hermione was hiding in the corner, covering the exposed skin with her hands. She was on the verge of a full - scale panic attack.

I instantly went to comfort her.

I gently picked her up. Her body trembled in my arms as sobs shook through her body.

I held her on my lap as she tried to calm down. I ran my hands on her shoulders and pressed the side of my face to hers.

I quickly healed all the wounds that I needed to heal. Once everything was healed, I tightly hugged her to me.

"I - I - I'm s - sorry," she whimpered.

"Shh, it's okay," I mumbled.

After she'd calmed down enough to speak clearly, she asked me to leave her alone for a few.

Hermione's P.O.V

I took a few minutes to recover from my panic attack. Once I completely calmed down, I got on some clothes.

I hated it. He saw almost everything. I was nothing if not modest.

I began to think about stuff I knew wasn't true, but in my stressed mind, I convinced myself it wasn't safe here. Draco could snap at any time. At that time, I could be in danger. I couldn't take the stress anymore.

I slipped on my shoes and opened the window. I took a deep breath before jumping out of the second story. I staggered on the landing, but ended fine. I took off into the woods.

Draco's P.O.V

I went to the room a few minutes later to check on Hermione. When I opened the door, I didn't see her anywhere. I checked the bathroom. She wasn't there.

It only took me seconds to realize the window was open, and her shoes were missing.

"Bloody hell," I whispered, apparating outside.

I quickly put a trace on her magic. Blue footprints formed a trail. I rushed after her trail.

The twenty acres of woods that surrounded my house was full of snatchers. If she were able to escape the woods, muggle slave company's had guards everywhere in the city.

I ran as fast as I could after her. I was more than relieved when I saw her a bit ahead. She noticed I was following and hid.

When I got to her, the panic had already set in. She couldn't breathe. I didn't have time to help her yet because of the snatchers that could show up any second.

I scooped her into my arms making her flinch. I apparated back to the room. I rushed Hermione to the bed and tried to help her.

"D - d - don't h - hurt me," she whimpered, shielding her head

I summoned a calming potion. I knew she was going to pass out if she didn't take it.

"Hermione, please drink this," I asked as soft and kind as I could.

She shook her head, trying to breathe. She scooted away from me.

"It's a calming potion, Hermione. It will help you breathe," I stated.

She looked up. I handed her the baby blue potion. She was shivering now, so I realized she might go into shock. She ran away. The punishment is extreme for escaped slaves. I knew she experienced it before.

She slowly drank the potion. Her breathing went even instantly. The calming potion I gave her helped keep the stress at bay for a while. It made her closer to drunk than anything else.

"Why did you run?" I asked, pulling her on my lap and putting my arms around her.

"I'm to stressed out," she whispered.

"Hermione, it was stupid to run. There are hundreds of snatchers in those woods. You would have never made it out free," I stated, hugging her tighter. "If a snatcher had gotten to you, there would be nothing I could do to save you."

"But couldn't you claim me as an escaped slave?" She asked.

"No, usually people tattoo their slaves, but I didn't want to permanently ruin your skin," I explained.

"It wouldn't matter, I already have a tattoo," she mumbled.

"Where? What is it?" I asked immediately.

"It's a tattoo that shows possession. Everyone at 394 gets one depending on who claims them. They're in very... private places," she explained quickly. "I really wouldn't mind having another if it meant I didn't have to go back."

"If you don't try to run, you wouldn't need one," I stated.

She blushed.

"I mean, just in case. You know? Just in case something happends, I wouldn't mind having a tattoo or something to show I'm yours," she clarified.

"A wedding ring?" I suggested.

She looked at me with wide eyes.

"A w - wedding ring?"

"Or, maybe a promise ring instead," I corrected. "You know, to promise that I'll marry you when the war ends."

"Are you proposing?"

"Yes, I am," I nodded.

She slowly slotted her arms under mine and buried her face in my chest.

"Is that a yes?"

She nodded against my chest.

"Why do you want to marry me, all of a sudden?" She asked me.

"I don't want you to leave me again."