The Brightest Black

Hermione froze as soon as she saw the pale fingers slip between the door and its resting spot. But it was too late, the door was too heavy and reinforced and it had gained a momentum of its own.

A loud crunch filled the air and she winced and gasped at the realization of what had occurred. Whatever haze had been clouding her mind cleared instantly as she felt her promise with Malfoy twinge. She'd hurt him. It had been unintentional, but it had happened.

"Malfoy!"

She shoved her shoulder against the door and pushed it outwards, wincing as Malfoy's mangled hand was immediately yanked back. He sat there on the floor, his hand cradled against his chest and his face twisted in silent pain.

She saw blood dribbling down his face from where he'd obviously bitten his lip.

She knelt down, "Malfoy? We need to go to the hospital wing." When he didn't respond she tried again. "Malfoy? Malfoy!"

He didn't respond and she began to panic. Instantly she felt Harry in her mind. When he realized it wasn't her that was injured he sent a memory of him hugging and humming to her; instantly she felt the panic slip away. Her mind began to clear and she took a deep breath. What would Narcissa do?

Well, she knew what Narcissa would do first; she never called him Malfoy.

"Draco!"

At his given name he looked up at her and she gasped. His eyes were dilated and filled with tears.

"Hermione?" he whispered.

"Draco, I'm so sorry! Can you stand?"

"It hurts," he whined.

"I know, we need to see Madam Pomfrey."

He didn't move so she pleaded with him, "Please, Draco, I can't fix it. I don't know the spells."

"You always know the spells." His tone was such that he sounded utterly lost and confused, not to mention in pain.

"We're only sixth-years. Medical spells are beyond-NEWT level charms and transfiguration."
"Oh," he said dazedly as he allowed her to get a hold on his good arm and pull him to feet. She didn't dare cast a spell on his arm to immobilize it. She just didn't know if it would do more harm.

She got his good arm slung around her shoulder and began helping him back to the staircase they'd just run up. He wobbled on his feet as he had to lean down to effectively keep his arm around her shoulders. He was, somehow, a good head taller than her now.

When had that happened?

She felt him rub his head against the top of hers as they reached the staircase.

She froze, "Malfoy, what are you doing?"

He ignored her and kept doing it. "So soft," she heard him murmur.

She hurriedly began moving again. This was very un-Malfoy like behavior and that worried her. That worried her a lot. She cursed under her breath for not studying more books on healing and medicine. Everything she’d read had been about her own healing process, not broken bones or shock.

Going down the stairs was difficult as he seemed to be having trouble keeping his balance. She was also sure that his insistence on rubbing against her like a cat was doing nothing to help.

Somehow they made it to the correct floor without him falling or passing out. There was a near moment when he slipped on a step and jostled his arm. His good arm tightened around her shoulders and she felt herself pressed firmly against his side. She gasped and felt warmth flood her face that she pointedly ignored as he regained his footing before they continued on.

"You're so brave," he said softly as she led him out of the stairwell. "How did you survive it? I-" he gasped as his hand moved a bit.

"Survive what?" she asked. Hoping that this more rational question was a good sign. At least he'd stop rubbing her head.

"Everything."

His good hand pulled up her sleeve and a bit of one scar showed before she yanked it down again.

"Don't!!!" She hissed. She almost tossed him off of her.

"Sorry," he said softly before resuming to rub his head against her hair. "Bad day to talk about that. I-I didn't know."

She stopped and looked up at him, forcing his cheek to leave her hair. Part of her felt bereft at the sudden loss of contact.

"Didn't know what?"

"Azkaban."

Her eyes met his. They were so dilated they were almost pure black, with just a hint of silver. It reminded her a bit of the moon, right as it began to grow full again.

"Don't lie to protect your family."

He shook his head and her skin tingled where his chin brushed against her forehead.

"That person isn't family. You are."

Thoughts tumbled through her mind at his words. She couldn't make heads or tails of them. She was so exhausted, so stressed, and now completely confused.

Thankfully, she was saved a response by a door opening nearby.

She looked up to see Professor Snape entering the corridor, a case of empty potion bottles floating along behind him.

He froze for half an instant upon sight of them. And then things were a rush of motion. He was demanding answers, she was trying to satisfy, but Malfoy kept saying odd things and also refusing to let go of her. She didn't dare get physical or use magic on him as his hand had swollen to be almost the same size as Hagrid's.

This led to her sitting on a hospital bed, still tucked under his arm, as Madam Pomfrey began working on his hand. Snape was standing nearby and eyeing them speculatively. She really didn't like the look in his eyes. It reminded her of Naricssa Malfoy. Though she knew the two couldn't be in cahoots.

Could they?

No, there was no way. Snape and Padfoot hated each other terribly. Part of why Mrs. Longbottom had taken the DADA position, not Padfoot. There was no way Snape would involve himself in matrimonial plans for Padfoot's daughter.

No way.

Unless…

No, even Snape wouldn’t stoop to arranging marriages that would anger his old school rival.

"There you go, Mr. Malfoy. You're all healed. Just treat it carefully for the next twenty-four hours as the bones finish hardening. I'll give you a sling to wear. Also, drink this."

She pushed a potion into his hands.

Hermione felt more than saw Malfoy look up at the Potions Master. She didn't blame him, he'd already taken a potion for pain and another to reduce swelling.

"Drink up, Mr. Malfoy. It's just some vitamins to help your body recover from shock," Snape drawled. He was eyeing Draco's good hand, which was curved around Hermione's upper arm.

Draco held out the potion to Hermione and she rolled her eyes, but opened it for him. He used his good hand to drink it, which pulled her closer against him. She tried to stifle a blush.

Her day was just getting odder and odder. She supposed it was rather fitting that the day after Bellatrix Lestrange escaped Azkaban was not a normal one. At least she was no longer wandering the halls in a half-daze like before. She felt Harry check on her once more, she showed him she was fine and then sent him an image of her lecturing him on not studying properly. He laughed and disappeared.

They may not be able to use the blood ward link for actual speaking, but they had enough shared memories and experiences to make images a feasible mode of communication.

"Now it's your turn, dear."

Hermione blinked up at the mediwitch in surprise.

"My turn?"

"Yes, you are obviously exhausted, dehydrated, and malnourished. And from the tension around your eyes I think a good calming draught may also be in order."

Madam Pomfrey bustled off before Hermione could respond.

She watched the woman go before spinning to look up at Malfoy. His features were schooled in innocence, but she didn't believe him for one moment. He'd done his best to keep her in Madam Pomfrey's sights the entire time his hand was healed.

"You..." she started as her eyes narrowed.

"Family keeps each other safe. Even from ourselves," he whispered into her ear.

"Family, again? I'm adopted! Your mother is trying to marry us, for Merlin’s sake!" she hissed in response, trying to pull away.

His fingers tightened on her arm, keeping her trapped against his side. She tried to jab him with her elbow, but he carefully moved his recently injured appendage into her only target area.

She ground her teeth in frustration. Even she wasn’t sadistic enough to hit recently healed bone.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Snape deliberately look away and walk over to Madam Pomfrey, where she was pulling potions out of a cabinet. Maybe he was in cahoots with Narcissa. She'd have to do some research. Maybe they were in school together.

"I'm family with my mother and she calls you and Sirius Black family. Ergo, that makes you family to me. Besides," he added, "I made a promise."

She scowled. That promise did not include taking care of each other! It was to stop them from hurting each other! Besides, he'd just spent the past two months avoiding her! Why had he chased her?

She opened her mouth to ask that very question, but the return of Madam Pomfrey with several potions made her hold her tongue.

While she drank them Professor Snape took his leave, but not before a pointed look at Malfoy and instructions to come to his office after dinner.

Hermione finally divested herself of Malfoy's arm when he had to put on the sling. She rushed out of the room, but ahe wasn't fast enough.

He cornered her at the top of another stairwell. Once again he got too close to her, using his body to block her possible movements. She got her wand out and pointed it at his face.

"What do you think you're doing?!?" she hissed.

"I need you to listen to me."

She glared, "And what if I don't want to listen?"

"You have to listen, please."

Shock coursed through her at his words, as well as the earnest expression on his face.

"What? A please? And no demands? No telling me you'll make me listen?"

He shook his head.

"I don't believe it."

"But-"

"No! I don't care if we're family! I don't care about a bloody promise we made two years ago! And I don't care if you didn't know about Azkaban! I can bet your parents knew! Oh, yes, I can see you agree with that statement!" And, truly, she could see it on his face. He knew Voldemort was being helped by one, if not both, of his parents.

"Oh, did you think I didn't know your mother's pleas in court kept my parents' murderer from receiving the kiss? After all, she only brutally tortured and killed two muggles." She practically spat out the last sentence. Rage was filling her as she looked up into grey eyes that now looked remarkably similar to a crazed set she saw in her nightmares.

"No! I-"

She was done. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't care anymore that she'd crushed his hand. He'd chased her through Hogwarts. She'd taken him to the hospital wing, where he had proceeded to restrain her and use his injury and shock to stop her from fighting back.

But now she was fine. She was fine and she was going to-

"Miss Black, there you are."

Malfoy gulped audibly as Hermione turned to look at the mediwitch who had just approached.

"I didn’t give you the calming draught, yet."

Hermione stared at the small vial in Madam Pomfrey's hand and tried to make sense of the words. But it was hard, rage was still boiling up inside her, demanding vengeance against those that had hurt her and hers.

She felt Malfoy reach out and take her hand in his, slowly lowering it and moving her wand away from his neck.

Madam Pomfrey looked between the two of them before shaking her head sadly. "Now, Miss Black, you will put that wand away at once and drink this potion. Otherwise I shall be forced to find the nearest professor."

At the word professor something clicked in Hermione's head and she realized just what was going on inside of her.

Her magic was in turmoil. Demanding vengeance against a target she couldn't reach. It only cared that Malfoy was Bellatrix's nephew and that there was the possibility it would upset her to lose him.

But her magic wasn't all of her. And her brain didn't want to kill or injure him. He'd never actually harmed her. She knew that. And, if she thought on it, she realized she'd know if he ever planned to do so.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm her magic down. It took some effort, but once she got it mildly contained she realized that Harry was mentally poking her, trying to find out if she okay.

She sent him a quick image of the stream by Luna's house as she turned and looked back up at Malfoy.

It was the look in his eyes and on his face that let her regain full control of her magic.

His face was full of fear, but under that, was an emotion she couldn't quite identify.

Scratch that, she likely could identify it, but she really didn't want to. It complicated things too much.

She looked down at his pale hand enveloping her own and felt something inside of her jerk. For a moment her hand tightened on her wand.

"Miss Black?"

She cursed and jerked away from Malfoy, trying to ignore how nice his hand had felt on hers. With one smooth motion she turned, grabbed the potion, and downed it.

Instantly she felt all of her emotions drain away as a bone deep weariness settled over her. She felt her eyes flutter closed and her ability to stay upright disappeared.

Her last thought before darkness overtook her was that Malfoy had very fast reflexes.