The End's Intent

Chapter 8

Draco returned late Wednesday night. In fact, it was technically Thursday morning when he finally slipped into the common room of the heads' dorm and found himself falling onto his bed. As soon as he closed his eyes, though, images from the mission he'd just got back from replayed in his head. His eyes snapped open and he rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

An entire muggle town. He'd helped raid and murder an entire muggle town on the coast and in the morning, he'd have to pretend like he hadn't. Most of the townspeople hadn't survived and the damage had been severe. In the morning, wizard and muggle newspapers alike would bear the news and Draco would carry on as normal. Merlin, things were getting worse and worse.

He blinked.

He really should try and sleep, but it was unlikely he'd actually sleep well. He'd been plagued by nightmares recently and tonight would only make them worse. His supply of Dreamless Sleep potions was running low and he knew he'd need to brew more soon if he wanted to get through the school year without resembling a half dead goblin.

With a groan, Draco pulled himself off of his bed and wandered into the bathroom to wash his face. He'd discarded his Death Eater robes as soon as he'd walked into his room. That hideous mask of his was being kept in Snape's office so he wouldn't risk other students seeing it when he walked down the halls, but the robes themselves were pretty recognisable.

Stepping into the bathroom, Draco paused. He knew he shouldn't pry, but on the sink was a glass jar of dittany cream and some other medical ointment. He frowned and tried not to think about what Hermione could have been using it for as he stepped into the shower. Unfortunately, it was the only thing he seemed to be able to think about as he stood under the hot water and tried to wipe away the guilt of his mission. When he stepped out of the shower, he spotted the ointments again and frowned once more before returning to his room.

He grabbed a Dreamless Sleep potion and downed it in one gulp before lying back down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, trying not to think of anything while he waited for the potion to hit. When his eyes started to droop and he knew he'd fall asleep soon, he sighed and closed his eyes. He only saw a few of that night's images flash in front of him before everything seemed to disappear.

The next thing Draco knew, he was waking up to his alarm and there was light streaming into his room. He groaned and stretched, thankful he'd been able to sleep despite still being tired.

As he climbed out of bed, he thought back to the dittany he'd seen in the bathroom last night and decided to see if it was still there. He opened the bathroom door and blinked. In front of him, Hermione was sitting on the sink counter in just a bra. Draco didn't have time to be embarrassed because before he could, he saw dark bruises covering her abdomen and shoulder.

Hermione gasped at the sight of him, reaching for her shirt to cover herself with, but Draco had already seen the marks.

"Hermione?" he asked, staring at the shirt covering her front. "What happened?"

"Before you get upset, it's been handled and you don't need to do anything," Hermione said quickly. Draco raised his eyebrow at her.

"Who handled it? You?" he asked. She frowned at his tone and he immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," she said. She tugged her uniform shirt over her head then slid off the counter top. "Blaise handled it, actually, but you are not to go pester him about it, understand?" she asked, rounding on him quickly. Draco glared at her.

"Only if you tell me what happened," he argued. Hermione glared back at him and they stayed like that for a minute. Hermione was the first to fold.