Little Secrets

Chapter 9

Hermione didn't sleep very well that night.  She awoke every few hours to either phantom pain or a nightmare.  The first time she'd woken up crying, Draco had still been awake reading so she hadn't felt too terrible about disturbing him.  When she woke up the second time, writhing from a pain that was no longer really there, the lights had been off and Draco had been fast asleep.  He'd woken up the second she let out a pained whimper and tried hard not to wake him up.  He didn't seem to care that she'd disrupted his sleep.

"It's okay,"  he'd murmured, wrapping his arm around her and pressing his lips to the side of her head.  The first time, it had taken a while for the pain to disappear and when it finally did, she discovered Draco was still holding her and pressing small kisses to her head.

It had happened two more times.  They hadn't lasted near as long or felt half as painful as the first time, but every time, Draco would move so he could hug her better and either whisper apologies she didn't have the energy to argue with or press soft kisses to her face.  It was just after the third time of phantom pain and an accompanying nightmare, that she resolved to just stay awake for the rest of the night.

"Go to sleep, Hermione,"  Draco told her after several minutes.

She shook her head, continuing to stare up at the ceiling.  He pulled her closer, practically covering her like a blanket as he did so but she didn't mind.  The added warmth and comfort made her feel safer.

"I have a dreamless sleep potion if you would like it,"  he offered.

She considered it.  Maybe it could keep away the phantom pain as well.  If it couldn't, however, she didn't want to be trapped inside her own mind to experience it.

Draco seemed to read her thoughts because he said,  "It just works to keep nightmares away.  It won't force you to sleep through everything."

Remembering that every time she woke up, she also woke Draco, she nodded at the idea.  Draco unwrapped himself from around her and crawled off the bed.  She immediately missed his presence next to her and watched as he walked to his dresser and pulled out a small vial.  As he walked back to the bed, she sat up and reached out to take it from her.  He conjured a water glass for her as she downed the potion.  It didn't taste horrible, but she was glad for the water afterward and drank nearly the whole thing.

"Thank you,"  she said, lying back down on his bed.

Draco made the water glass disappear before crawling back in beside her, draping himself over her like he had before.  She grabbed hold of the arm he'd wrapped around her chest and turned her head to look up at him.  He was already staring down at her, but Hermione didn't avert her eyes like she otherwise would have.

"I know I won't like the answer,"  he muttered, brushing a strand of hair further from her face.  "But how many times did he use the cruciatus curse on you?"

Hermione paused.  She wasn't actually sure, now that she thought about it.  She was pretty sure she'd fallen unconscious around the third time, but she couldn't be sure.  After that, everything blurred together.  She knew for sure it had been at least three times, but suddenly she wanted to know the exact number.  Maybe that would explain why she kept experiencing such horrid phantom pains throughout the night.  Either that or Amycus Carrow had figured out how to cast the curse on her without having to be nearby.

"Maybe three?  Four?"  she guessed, watching his face as he processed her words.  She could tell the exact moment he realised she had no real idea because his face darkened before he could hide his emotions.

"You don't know?"  he asked.

She shook her head, telling him she'd fallen unconscious around the third time.  He didn't seem to like the idea that Amycus could have continued casting the curse on her even while she was unconscious, so she didn't voice her worry he'd figured out a way to cast the curse without being near her.  Merlin, if this was what detention was going to be like for everyone, she needed to figure out a way to keep the others safe before next Saturday.