Exhaustion

Once inside the common room, he laid her on the couch with much more care than before, then opened the door to her bedroom. He felt like he was invading her privacy, but he thought she should be in her room. He lifted her off the couch and laid her on her bed. He took off her school robe, her tie, and her shoes.

He left their common room and went to the kitchens. His family had given Hogwarts one of their house-elves, and Tibb worked in the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes late, he returned to Granger's bedroom with a tray of food and drinks. He placed it on her desk and went to read on the couch. He left her door open.

After darkness fell, Draco heard movement from her room. He looked up from his book to see her reaching for her wand. He watched as she whispered, "Lumos," and her wand lit. She noticed the food on her desk, within reach, and looked at it blankly before picking up a pumpkin pasty. She noticed the open door, and stared blankly at it as well.

"Thank you," she called.

"You're welcome," he answered simply.

After a few minutes, he realized he forgot water. Juice, sure, but no water. He conjured a glass and made his way to her room. He mumbled "Adustum" at the torch by the door and a bright flame leapt from it. She put out her wand.

"Can I come in?" he asked, brandishing the water. She nodded and he set it by the tray of food. She immediately picked it up.

He watched her gulp the pure water. "What is wrong with you?" he asked suddenly. She stopped drinking and looked to him, hate in her eyes. Before she could respond, he said, "I mean, you're malnourished and over-exerted. Why did you do this to yourself?"

Her eyes hardened with a stoicism he envied. "Why the hell do you care?"

"I just do, Granger. Deal with it. And answer my question."

Her eyes softened and gained a sadness he wouldn't wish upon anyone. After a few minutes of staring into the glass of water, she looked to him again. "I can't," she whispered.

The pain in her eyes stopped him from asking more questions, and he accepted her answer for the moment. He nodded and left the room. "Just yell if you need anything," he said before closing her door. "I'm only on the other side of the bathroom."

The next morning Draco woke and stretched. He dressed and went to breakfast. Afterward, when he returned to the common room, he felt something was amiss. Feeling incredibly stupid, he remembered Granger. He mentally kicked himself as he hurried down to the kitchen to pull some food together. But when he edged into her room, he found the hurrying wasn't necessary. She was asleep.

He switched out the trays as quietly as he could and put the nearly empty one on the table in front of the fire. For some reason, he found himself leaning against the doorjamb, watching her sleep. The morning light brightened her face. He found, despite her pallor and the circles under her eyes, she was… beautiful. And he realized how little he knew about her.

He had only begun to hate her because Potter had chosen her for a friend and not him. Childish, now that he looked back on it. The fact she was muggleborn had made it too easy. His parents had never liked muggleborns and it was easy for him to follow their lead. She also received better marks than him in almost all classes. He realized that he was jealous. Jealous of Mudblood Granger.

He chuckled to himself and felt all the malice he'd aimed toward her over the last six and a half years melt away. He could put it behind him and try to make nice. He wasn't sure if she'd find it that easy, though.

Draco had a potions essay due Monday, so he went to the library, thinking his patient would be fine on her own. He found a table near the front, pulled some books, and got started. He was taking a break and looking around aimlessly when he spotted a bushy-haired brunette enter the library sheepishly.

Granger, he thought as he shook his head. He watched her turn down an aisle and followed her. She had stopped at a shelf of herbology and was running her fingers over the spines.

"Granger," he said, out loud this time. He smiled when she jumped. She blushed when she saw him, knowing she'd done something she wasn't supposed to. "Come on," he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. She began to defend herself as he steered her out of the library.

"No, you don't understand. See, I have a potions essay and herbology essay due Monday, and then two more due on Tuesday. I have to look up dream interpretations so I'm not behind in Divination on Wednesday, and then I have to translate some things for Ancient Runes – "

"How many classes are you taking?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, erm… a few," she said abashedly. Then he put two and two together. He stopped her and turned so they were face to face.

"Are you tiring yourself with school work, Granger?" She only blushed and looked down. He took her chin in his hand so he could see her eyes and noticed a glint at her neck. He reached for it, but she wrenched herself out of his grip and covered it with a hand.

"A time-turner?" he asked softly, disbelieving. "No wonder. The anxiety, the over-working, the mal-nutrition and dehydration… Is it all for the grades?"

She didn't answer, but turned and continued walking toward the common room. He followed her. He watched as she shed her robe and shoes and climbed into bed. The afternoon sun still lit her bedroom. He entered without asking this time and sat in her desk chair. He sat in silence, simply looking at her, while she looked at her hands.

"Why?" he asked softly. Slowly, as if reluctant, she raised her eyes to his. The sadness was back.

"I have to," she whispered. He thought she might start crying if she spoke any louder.

Confused, he shook his head.

"This summer… This summer my – my parents died." Draco could feel his face crumble. Even though she wasn't looking at him, he could see hate harden her eyes. "They were murdered," she added. "You know who did it?"

Shocked, he couldn't respond.

"I'm sure you do. I just know it was one of them." She turned her hate-filled eyes to him. They saddened again as she said, "That mark… " she couldn't finish before a few tears rolled down her face. He reached to brush them away, but she smacked his hand away and wiped them herself.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry," he whispered, knowing he could start crying any moment as well.

He cleared his throat. "But this isn't right. You shouldn't be starving yourself. You don't need a time-turner. You don't even like Divination. Just take the classes you want to and stop over-exerting yourself."

She laughed sardonically. "You don't understand. I have to. I can't think about them. I need to be concentrating on schoolwork. I have to keep my mind off of them…"

"You don't think they deserve to be mourned?"

He could see she was ready to lash out, but she broke down instead. "But it hurts," she said through her sobs. "It hurts so much."

Cautiously, he lifted himself off the chair and onto the bed next to her. He put an arm around her, and though she resisted at first, she ended up crying into him.