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C H A P T E R  T E N | vulnera sanentur

spell. heals victim.

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THAT MORNING, they are awakened by a rapid knocking, not by Hermione's eerie dream. She must've fallen asleep again.

Narcissa begins shouting for Draco, and in their dazed state, they hurry to be presentable. By the time the door bursts open, the pair are sloppily pulled together in the clothes they'd worn the day previous.

Narcissa doesn't even bother looking toward Hermione. She instead keeps her focus firmly on her son just a meter away. Behind her is Astoria Greengrass, who does happen to acknowledge Hermione.

Before she can escape the room, Astoria grabs her tightly by the arm, pulling her close enough so that she can whisper a threat into her ear.

"Come near my fiancé again and I'll end you."

Hermione pulls away, revolted by the acidity in Astoria's voice. Of course she cannot blame her but it doesn't make the pill any easier to swallow. She enters the hallway, hoping to sneak into her room, unnoticed by anyone else but the appearance of Narcissa Malfoy has drawn quite the crowd to fill the corridor. She hurriedly directs her eyes to floor before her as she races into the sanctuary of her room.

It's obvious that she won't be leaving anytime soon so she takes the time to redress into clean clothes and take down some of the coursework she's accumulated. By noon, she is starving and just as she closes a book on potionwork, Pansy knocks at the door.

"Want to get lunch? I'm buying," she says as if Hermione needs any more persuasion.

The pair head out of the castle and down to Hogsmeade without much interruption, just the occasional sharp whisper and lingering stare. They arrive at a new restaurant on the main street of the small town. It's called Brusseau's; it's a hole-in-the-wall pub-style place serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a full bar. The dark oak walls, thick curtains, and dim lighting give the restaurant a very Slytherin-feel to it.

They order their lunches and as they wait, Pansy brings up an unexpected topic.

"Has Draco confided in you lately about being in some sort of trouble? He's been so distant the past few months. I'm worried, actually." Her voice trails off and her dark eyes study Hermione's face.

Hermione sips from her drink, needing a moment to collect her thoughts. She trusted McGonagall with the truth, why not Pansy? Perhaps she could even help.

She sets her glass down and leans closer to the other woman.

"What do you know about the werewolf community?"

Pansy thinks on the subject for a moment before responding. "Not much, I suppose. Why? Are you telling me he's a werewolf?"

Her shrill voice draws a couple of stares but she pays them no mind. She is concerned for her friend, nothing more.

"Not yet but Fenrir's pack is looking for revenge after Lucius got him thrown in Azkaban. I'd go to Kingsley but I'm actually convinced that he may be working with them." She explains the woman at the Ministry, the letter with the vibrant wax seal, and the subsequent Obliviate spell placed on her. This leads to her discovery of Lockheart and the vampires at Mungo's.

When she is done, her throat is parched. She sips from her glass, allowing Pansy a moment to sift through the mountain of information.

"If we don't find a solution, a war with the vampires and werewolves is imminent. This will mean absolute uncertainty for the Wizarding World, not to mention leaving each witch and wizard to pick a side or stand alone. We're not ready for that kind of war again. Not so soon."

"So we stop it from the inside," Pansy says with confidence.

"You really think we can?"

She doesn't hesitate.

"Everything is at stake here. We have to stop it before it gets any worse. If they get Draco, who knows what sort of repercussions there'd be. And we can't let your baby go without her father."

"You're still on that?"

"He'll come around. Trust me."

Hermione hides her true emotions to continue on with the development of their plan.

"We must keep this discreet. If this information gets into the wrong hands, any one of us could be in danger. Especially Draco but we must get to the bottom of this. Which leaves just one more thing. Something that could help us get answers quicker." Hermione tells her about her new internship with the MLE.

"With the MLE's database and authority, we would have some leverage. We could find out more about our enemies. Their talents, their weaknesses. Where we might find them. That Obliviated memory revealed the name of our first suspect. I'm sure she's in the database."

Pansy smirks.

"Seems you've got it all figured out then. Might I suggest we include a few friends as well? Sure, we can handle a bunch of muppets. But in your condition, I think we would benefit from some support."

Their lunch arrives then. Pansy begins to eat while Hermione mulls over the idea that at some point, she will need to fall back in all of this. Could she live that way - so far from everyone and the action? Pansy seems oblivious to her struggle because she lists everyone she thinks they should bring along. Ron and Harry. Blaise, of course. Definitely not Draco. But her last choice strikes Hermione.

"She hates me," Hermione says, reflecting on Astoria's threat from just that morning. Not to mention that there was hate before they discovered they were sleeping with the same man.

Pansy tsks.

"She only hates you because she thinks you're in love with Draco. Just tell her you're not. But we do need her. She's a skilled duelist and hexer. She could be a great asset to the team. I promise I won't let her try anything. She'll leave you alone." She pushes back her plate and finishes off her drink.

Hermione doesn't speak up about her lingering feelings toward Draco because what good would it do? They'll benefit from the extra help so she agrees. And from now on, she'll attempt to ignore her desires for Draco. Their interactions will be strictly business. They'll conduct their Head duties until they face the werewolves and vampires. Then when everything is right once more, they'll go their separate ways. She'll have their child and he'll go on to marry Astoria, living happily ever after.

As her thoughts darken, her mood worsens, and after lunch, she sends Pansy on her way to speak with Astoria while she DisApparates to London where Harry and Ron live.

The sun is obscured by clouds and thunder rumbles in the distance. A chilled wind threatens to chill Hermione to the bone, but thankfully she isn't waiting too long outside.

Cho Chang opens the door at 12 Grimmauld Place, smiling at Hermione as she welcomes her inside. The air smells of baked goods. Warm cinnamon and apples. There is also a deep bite of cologne but with the other scents, it is hard to discern just where she's smelt that fragrance before.

"It's been a while, Hermione. How are you? How's Hogwarts?"

"I'm surviving, you know. Hogwarts is. . ." Honestly, the last few months of school have been a blur. Everything has been done through muscle memory alone. Professors never call on her because she's the great and knowledgable Hermione Granger.

"Anyway, are Harry and Ron here? I'd like to speak to you three about something." She figures that if Pansy can invite Astoria, Cho shouldn't be a problem. It'd be nice to have just one more person on her side through it all.

Just then, Ron pops through the kitchen door. He's still dressed in his Auror uniform; a sleek, dark ensemble with silver clasps and buttons. It's attractive and impressive; she's never seen him appear so imposing. Several months in the academy have chiseled away the remnants of childhood, making him appear like a man rather than the boy she'd always known. The shadow of facial hair only increases his intensity.

Her stomach flutters but she forces a smile.

"I thought I heard your voice," he says, approaching the women. "What am I being involved in now?"

"We really need Harry here, too. This is urgent." Rather than waiting for an answer, Hermione struts into the kitchen, unaware that someone else is already bending Harry's ear.

At the trestle table are Harry and Draco. Their whispering ceases when she enters the room. Everyone is caught off-guard but Hermione believes this is actually brilliant. Draco would have eventually found out that they were investigating the wolves. And if he's seen as such a prominent member of the werewolf community, he could eventually come face to face with the vampires. Surely it would be beneficial, if not safer to divulge such information to him?

She approaches them with eagerness in her voice.

"It's actually great that you're here, Draco," she says, absentmindedly using his first name in front of her friends who've only ever heard cursed utterances in his respect.

She begins to tell everyone of the plan that she and Pansy came up with, admitting that she knows about the wolves and how they're involved with the Ministry. She doesn't even make it to the vampires before she realizes that somehow she's interrupted something even more insidious.

Draco pushes himself from the table, propelling him toward the corridor. He stops beside Hermione and they lock eyes.

"I asked you not to meddle." He isn't angry. His pressed brows signal hurt at her actions, which she can't exactly explain. She's only trying to help him.

The harder she tries to forget her emotions, the closer she comes to crying. She chases after him into the pouring rain that has descended on London.

"Wait," she calls to no avail. She shouts his name loudly and he turns.

"Why won't you let anyone help you?" She is down the staircase in a moment to stand in front of him.

"What do you think I was doing here? You think Potter and Weasley and I just spend every Friday together, sipping tea and having a laugh?"

She ignores the contempt in his voice. 

"So it's just my help you aren't interested in?"

He scoffs.

"Of course not!" He throws his hands up as if he's defeated by having to admit the truth.

"That's completely absurd. Friends help their friends."

He laughs but there is no humor in his tone. He rubs the bridge of his nose as he turns from her for a moment. When he's collected himself he turns back to her and his eyes lock with hers. "Is that what we are? Friends?"

She steps back, surprised.

"Of course we are," she says. "At least to some extent, right?"

She blinks through the rain that is sprinkling onto her upturned face. Was she wrong about their friendliness? Was it all a misunderstanding on her part?

"We cannot just be friends, Hermione. There's too much between us. If I feel it, then you must as well."

"Then if you feel that way, why are you pushing me even further? Is it because of Astoria? My blood? What is it so that I may understand just a fraction of what is making you behave this way? I only want to help you."

Draco steps closer to her. Rain pours down their faces but she's sure only Draco looks immaculate in such conditions. But the way he looks at her makes her feel as though he believes the opposite. It's as if she's the only one in the world.

"It is because of my feelings for you that I have to let you go. I got more than I deserved when we were together. As for Astoria, she deserves some answers for my poor behavior too. I am not going to marry her, or anyone. If I am to become the next leader of the Vukovi, I cannot have loved ones that can be used against me."

She looks away as she frowns. The rain hides her tears. She feels helpless but she doesn't want to use their child as leverage in any manner. So, she keeps the secret for another time. Then, just as he's done countless times, Draco raises her face with a single hand. She looks into his eyes.

"I crossed boundaries when we were together. I only thought of myself, about what I wanted. But for the last little while, I've begun to make amends. As someone I've hurt more times than I can count, I want more for you. I want you to just enjoy your final year and your work-study without this idea that you have to save the world, or me."

"You also deserve better. You deserve a life where you are free to be who you want to be. To love who you want. Becoming a werewolf isn't going to give you those choices."

Draco smirks but there is sadness in his gaze. His shoulders drop.

"Some might say that is the fate I deserve. Promise me that you won't continue this investigation. That you'll use your abilities on those who deserve the help."

She stares at him for a moment before nodding. Then, she looks away.

He leaves her there, DisApparating before she can utter another word.

Hermione sighs as she fights back her upset. She turns back to the apartment, surprised to see Ron standing on the threshold, just barely out of the rain's reach. She DisApparates as well, unprepared to have a conversation like that with him just now.

She arrives in Hogsmeade. Although there is no rain, the air is still chilled. Being soaked, she heads inside the nearest place with a vacancy - The Three Broomsticks. She stays here for a while, warming herself near the large fireplace. She stares into the flames, going over everything that's transpired, becoming lost in the turmoil of it all. How would they survive this? Especially those who still lead a mundane life? How could they stop Draco from becoming the leader of such a notorious organization?

That night, when she's returned to the castle and gotten into bed, she finds herself awake. Her mind is still flooded with questions, accusations, and a rerun of the sentences that had been exchanged earlier that day between her and Draco. Eventually, she falls asleep.

When she wakes, it is because there is a persistent knocking at her door. Hermione saunters over to the door, aware that it must be the early afternoon because the sun is no longer filtering into the room as it does for the morning.

Pansy is in the hall and she tells Hermione that a plan has been set into motion. At the next full moon, they will see just who is behind the werewolf plot.

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