After a War ((Old Copy))

Chapter 20 Book 3

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The healers rushed into the room and locked everyone but Draco out (He insisted that he and Hermione were family, and they asked no further questions upon seeing the rings). The others had to sit outside the room impatiently and see what was going to happen.

Draco exited the room after three hours of just seeing healers enter and exit the room without saying anything. He rubbed his face and sighed. He couldn't be in there any longer. That dagger Bella had was laced with poison. Hermione wasn't breathing, she hadn't been for the last few hours. Warm tears steamed down his face freely. He used to care who was watching, but there was no caring anymore.

Justin was awake, and just fine, but he was screaming his head off and begging for attention he wasn't getting. The healers were giving up on Hermione, they were slowly exiting the room, one by one every five minutes they'd come out of the room, until none were left. The room was empty other than Hermione, one of the healers took Justin with them to try and calm him down.

He could feel the other Wanderers eyes on him, the twins as well. He couldn't bring himself to say anything but a few small words. "Where's Potter?"

"With Pansy, making sure the healers take care of her, he doesn't know that Hermione or Justin got hurt yet." Maya said quietly. Draco nodded slowly.

"Get him." He responded, his voice was cracking and dry. He was going to be dehydrated. Very quickly, but he didn't care very much anymore. Maya returned with Potter at her side. Draco didn't say anything, he just walked into Hermione's room.  Harry followed behind him.

Draco felt Harry tense and stop breathing next to him when he saw Hermione on the bed. Not breathing, not living. She was pale, and most likely covered in blood under the blanket. Draco looked at the floor, he couldn't stand to look at her. He really couldn't. If he did, he'd entirely break down.

He wouldn't do that in front of Harry, so instead he left to let Harry stand there and sob. Draco swallowed hard and walked towards the crying noise he was certain to be Justin. The very second he saw the brown haired child he took him in his arms and tried to hush him. He was still crying.

He must have been able to feel the mood around him. Draco sighed and tried to smile, but every time he blinked he saw her, every thought was about her, every little thing in his heart and mind was about her. His heart thudded in his ears, reminding him that he was alive and she wasn't. It pained him to the bone, to the core, but his heart, it was still beating, and that annoyed him more than anything.

Justin stopped crying after Draco hummed to him for a while, though Draco was sure he noticed that Draco's full attention wasn't on him. The boy wrangled and tried to climb out of his arms, probably looking for Hermione, he didn't understand. He didn't know. If she didn't come back, he would never know his mother-sister. He forgot that Hermione was his sister and not his mother for a moment.

He would never remember her smile, or how she'd laugh and sing to him. How she'd comfort him when he was alone, or how she was always there. He would never know that.

Draco would tell him, he'd tell the child everything, every day until he could no longer tell him how amazing Hermione was. Justin would get annoyed at how much he said it, but he'd still say it every day.

Draco walked to the others, they sat by Hermione door, most of them had their faces buried in their hands, or they stared off blankly. It was heart wrenching just to see them that way. And they could all hear Harry behind the closed door in denial. Constantly repeating the word no, almost yelling.

Draco gained their attention by clearing his throat, his throat was already completely dry by now so he coughed and Justin whined a bit but curled into Draco's arms willingly.

"I need someone with the ability to apparate to take me back to the apartment, its the middle of the night and Justin needs to rest. We all do. We can come back tomorrow."  Draco said, he didn't want to leave, but, Hermione would want him to take care of Justin.

"Who else is going?" Fred asked. Solomon stood up, but he didn't want to Fred, he walked away towards another room, probably to check on Pansy. Draco felt a little bad, of course he cared about Pansy's condition, but he needed to do other things. Maya stood up, and George followed instantly. Fred nodded and grabbed George and Draco. Maya took George's arm and they apparated back to the apartment.

"I'm going back so Solomon has a way back." Fred said quietly, he hugged George and Maya and disappeared. Draco walked to his and Justin's room and lay him on the bed, in Hermione's spot.  Before he shut the door,  he saw George and Maya go in Maya and Pansy's room. He raised his eyebrows, but continued frowning. He laid on the bed next to Justin, and let tears stream down his face, trying to be quiet to not wake the baby.