Dramione: Skills for life

4. Officially roomies

Draco walked into his new apartment at ten o'clock that night. It was dark inside, save for a tiny lamp in the living room. He shut it off and walked into the bedroom, his trunk magicked to follow him from behind. Hermione appeared to be sleeping soundly on the left side of the bed. He smiled, he like the right side. Draco pulled off his school robes, so he was in his plain white t-shirt and his boxers. He opened the closet and saw that Granger had left a space for his trunk. He smiled to himself as he put the trunk inside. He crawled into the bed beside her and fell into a restful sleep.

"No! No! Noo!" screeched Hermione. Draco shot up, panic coursing through him. Hermione thrashed beside him, a light sheen of sweat on her face. "I don't know! PLEASE!"

"Hermione! Hermione! GRANGER!" shouted Draco, shaking her frantically. Hermione's eyes snapped open as she gasped for air. Without warning, she burst into tears.

"Oh my god, I'm so s-s-s-s-sorry!" sobbed Hermione, hot tears streaming down her face. Draco was at loss.

"Hermione, it's okay. Do you want me to get you something?"

"There's a bottle under the sink labeled sleeping potion. Bring it too me please?" asked Hermione, her voice small. Draco jumped up and did so. He returned with a glass filled with the potion. Hermione drank it greedily.

"Hermione, what was your nightmare about?" asked Draco quietly. Hermione's head began to lull as sleep settled in.

"M-Mafloy manor." mumbled Hermione before she succumbed.

Draco sat there, shock in his body. He thought back to that moment.
Flashback
Malfoy Manor, Late April

"Draco, come here." commanded Narcissa Malfoy. Draco shivered and walked into the main room. His father stood there, looking both weary and anxious. Narcissa smirked. He saw a few snatchers...holding Potter, Weasley, and Granger. It looked like Potters face was badly swollen, but Draco knew it was him.

"Well boy?" encouraged Greyback. Potters green eyes darted around the room, settling on everything except Draco's eyes. He hesitated.

"Well, Draco?" said Lucius Malfoy avidly. "Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"

Moment of truth.

"I-I can't be sure." stammered Draco, wanting this to be over with. Lucius tried to reason with him, but Draco remained indecisive. He thought he was out of the woods until his moth pointed out Hermione as Hermione.

"Draco! Isn't that the Granger girl!"pressured Narcissa. Draco's breathing deepened. Hermione's warm brown eyes found his and they were pleading.

"I...maybe...yeah." whispered Draco, unforgiving. Fear shocked Hermione, displayed openly in her eyes. Draco felt terrible. He then was asked Weasley was Arthur Weasley's son, which Draco replied yes. The Death Eaters deliberated for a while.

"Take them to the celler, Greyback." said Narcissa finally.

"Wait," said Bellatrix sharply. "All except...except for the mudblood."

They were taken away. Hermione stayed put in the snatchers arms, until Bellatrix grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the center of the room. Draco watched as the girl he had admired for years stood fearful before his aunt.

"Tell me girl, where did you get this sword?" shouted Bellatrix. Hermione shook her head frantically.

"CURCIO!" screamed Bellatrix, her wand aimed at the young witch. She screamed a terrible, drawn out scream. Distantly, Draco heard Weasley screaming.

"We found it, in the river." gasped Hermione.

"Lies!" screamed Bellatrix. She tortured Hermione again, increasing the pain.

"I will ask once more, where did you get the sword."

"We found it in the river!" said Hermione feebly. Bellatrix reached into the folds of her robes, extracting a large bejeweled knife.

"Well let's show the mudblood how dirty her blood really is." sneered Bellatrix, shoving Hermione to the ground. Draco felt pain inside him as she yanked up her jacket, revealing a pale forearm.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Hermione. "NO! NO! PLEASE!"

Bellatrix was using the knife to carve into her skin. She became to whimper, since Bellatrix covered her mouth. She stood up after she was finished, just as Potter and Weasley attacked. However, Draco ran to Hermione. He stood infront of her, fighting and protecting her all the same.

End of flashback
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Draco felt hot tears in his eyes as he remembered that. He looked over at Hermione and saw the scarring on her arm. He fell asleep after take a mouthful of Hermione's sleeping potion.
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"Draco. Draco. Malfoy!" snapped Hermione the next morning. Draco jumped up.

"Wha?"

"It's nearly eight. Classes begin in a half hour, I thought I'd wake you."

"Sorry, Blaise usually wakes me." apologized Draco, as he stood up. Hermione took a deep gulp from her mug, that smelled heavily of licorice.

"What are you drinking?" asked Draco suspiciously.

"Tea." responded Hermione. Draco shrugged. Hermione turned to leave, but she felt a hand on her forearm...just brushing the scar.

"Hermione?" said Draco softly. She turned around to face him, her heart beating quickly.

"Yes?" whispered Hermione, her mind going to the past nights events.

"I just want to say...I'm sorry. It's my fault entirely that you have nightmares, that you will bear the scars, physically and mentally. I am so sorry,and I know nothing I say will ever be enough but I wished from the moment I revealed you that I could take it back." whispered Draco brokenly. Hermione smiled a small, sad smile.

"I'm not going to say it's alright Draco, and I'm not going to say it's okay. Because it's not. But you are remorseful. You showed your true colors in the end, and we were grateful for that. Now, I would like to leave the past in the past." she placed a delicate hand on his cheek, patting it gently, before turning and leave. Draco stood there, watching the amazing woman leave.