The Brightest Black

Draco barely got his good arm moving fast enough to stop Hermione from hitting her head on the stone floor. He grunted and slowly lowered her the rest of the way to the ground. Once she was safe from smashing her skull in he glared up at Madam Pomfrey, "Did you know that would happen?"

She shook her head as she drew her wand, "Miss Black was clearly exhausted. Only the power of her emotions, fueled by her magic, was keeping her awake. And, no, Mr. Malfoy, I did not realize she was quite that far gone. Otherwise I would have made it impossible for her to leave the Hospital Wing. Now, please move and I shall levitate her to a bed."

Draco moved back and watched as Hermione was magically lifted off the floor, her robes were hanging at an odd angle, exposing her sock-clad calves. He reached out and yanked the robes down, covering her up.

Madam Pomfrey began to float Hermione away and he made to stand up and follow. In doing so something clattered across the floor. He looked down and saw her wand lying there. It looked like a mere stick of wood, utterly harmless. Nothing at all like the deadly weapon he knew it to be.

He reached down and picked it up with his left hand. He shivered as the wand acknowledged him and then promptly discarded him as unworthy.

He gave it a small flick, "Lumos."

Light appeared just fine, but it was not very bright. He frowned and focused, trying to increase the light, but all it did was flicker.

Apparently the wand was as temperamental as its mistress.

"Malfoy, what are you doing?"

He jerked and guiltily lowered the wand.

"Potter, why aren't you in class?"

"I asked you a question first."

Draco shrugged and tried to look innocent. He'd not talked to Potter since their Knight Bus ride to St. Mungos. "I was curious, that's all. Here, it's your sister's."

Harry frowned but reached out and took the wand. "And to answer, Defense is finished. I have a free class and came looking for Hermione."

"She's in the hospital wing."

"Wait, what?!?" Potter looked up from the wand, his eyes going wide. "But, she wasn't the one that was injured!"

Draco rolled his eyes - not even questioning how Potter knew what had happened, he already knew those two had some strange connection - and gestured towards his right arm in the sling. "I was the one that was injured. She just collapsed from exhaustion. You really need to take better care of your sister. I didn't save her from death's door just to let her destroy her own health."

Potter scowled, "You want to blame me for her exhaustion? Do you realize how bloody stubborn she is? I told her to sleep in after she got the news last night. Instead she rewrites that entire article and then collapses at the table in exhaustion! Ginny swore she was asleep in bed when we came down to breakfast."

"Apparently not, as she found me on a staircase just as the first class was starting." And, because his hand still felt wrong, not to mention some leftover dizziness from being in so much pain, he released a jab he hadn't uttered in years. As soon as it was out of his mouth he regretted it, there was no reason for the nasty words. He didn’t want to be like that anymore. Besides, Pansy was going to kill him. That is, if Hermione didn't recover and get to him first. "Apparently your girlfriend is too stupid to realize when someone is faking. Not surprising, as she is related to Weasel."

Instantly Potter's hands clenched into fists and a thunderous expression filled his face.

Reflexively, Draco took a step backwards in fear. He knew he couldn't move fast enough with his left hand to draw his wand, and forget casting a spell - he was pants at casting off-hand everything but the most basic spells.

Forget Pansy and Hermione, Potter might just kill him.

"You," Potter spat, "are a supreme git. And here I thought you'd changed."

Draco's jaw dropped, "Changed?"

"Yes, changed. I actually was beginning to like and respect you after you saved Hermione. Then you did something to upset her on the train ride to Hogwarts and now you're insulting my girlfriend just for laughs. Maybe the apple doesn't fall as far from the tree as I thought it did."

Draco frowned at Potter's use of the apple tree expression. Memories of Theo's conversation with him last year resurfaced, along with the fact that he really didn't want to be like his father anymore. Besides, he hadn't meant to upset her on the train.

He deflated at the memory of her face before she ran from him in a panic. Sometimes he wished...

No, it didn't matter what he wished. He had reality to contend with. And right now reality was comprised of a horrifically angry Harry Potter.

"Well? Not going to defend yourself?"

Draco cocked his head to the side and studied Potter. The boy had once been his arch-nemesis. All because he'd refused to give up being friends with the Weasel. Now, Draco knew what an idiot he'd been back then. If Potter had demanded he give up being friends with Pansy....

Well, let's just say things wouldn't have been pretty.

"I'm sorry, Potter. I shouldn't have said that. And as for the train...well, if Hermione hasn't told you what happened, then I won't either. But just know that it was all an accident, and she knows this. I just reacted in the wrong manner. I got injured trying to apologize and explain to her."

Potter's eyebrows shot up, "You called her Hermione."

Draco rolled his eyes, "Of course you'd focus on that. Yes, I did. She's family, besides, I risked my safety to save her life. Calling her Black just doesn't fit anymore."

Potter relaxed somewhat, and Draco was pleased to see that his eyes no longer sparkled like sharp emeralds, though his hair still seemed to spark with each small movement.

"Is this a trick?"

Draco shook his head, "No trick, Potter. I spoke without thinking. I'm not exactly thinking clearly at the moment."

Silence stretched between them as Potter internally debated his words. That was, until a group of third-years passed by them, heading up the stairs and shooting curious glances.

That woke Potter up, he gave his head a shake, "Whatever, I'm going to go check on Hermione. Just stop doing things you need to apologize for."

Draco watched Potter walk away. He walked just like Sirius Black. Both of them moved with a grace that any panther would envy. You just had to watch them move to know that it would be perilous to cross them. He suddenly felt very glad that his mother had mended bridges with her family. If he'd continued to act towards them as he had throughout their first two years at Hogwarts...

Well, he might just look a bit like Mad-Eye Moody. That is, if he was still capable of breathing.

As soon as the Gryffindor was out of sight he felt his muscles relax as he lost the tension and hyper-awareness he'd been feeling ever since Hermione had drawn her wand on him. Strangely, a part of him felt empty, and he didn't even know why.

XXX

Narcissa had her wand trained on the door before the latch had even finished turning. It was a terrible feeling to once again not feel safe in your own home. Not that they had had a choice. When the Dark Lord requested something you obeyed, or you died.

And Lucius was still too much under that man's thrall to disobey him over using his house as a headquarters.

She relaxed once he door opened fully to reveal her husband. A moment later she was on her feet and rushing over to the door, taking him into her arms and pushing the door shut with her foot.

He was shaking and his skin was ghostly pale.

A quick flick of her wand and a muttered spell put locks on the door that would take a good fifteen minutes to dismantle - giving them plenty of warning.

He buried his face in her hair as he continued to shake. She rubbed his back, trying her best to comfort him. There really wasn't much she could do, at least when it came to this. Especially as she knew it was partly her fault. But, much as she loved her husband, her son was more important.

After a time the shaking subsided and he took a deep breath.

"He blames me for not controlling the Ministry enough. He wanted no one to know of the breakout as there is no one possible to blame for it."

She pulled back and looked at him with somewhat genuine surprise. "He truly thought that no one would notice the largest prison break in magical history? Many of the human guards there have family and friends that would enquire after them."

Lucius rolled his eyes, "He planned to release something about a potions mix-up that poisoned the food, killing everyone."

"And when someone saw one of the convicts alive and well? Never mind, forget that question. Of course they would never live to tell the tale."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before painfully reaching up to undo the top button on his robes. She gently brushed his hands away and took over.

"Do you want me to draw up a bath?" She brushed his sweat-damp hair out of his face once his robes were undone.

He nodded slowly and painfully, "Please. He almost went too far. Skeeter had to help me up the stairs after the meeting ended."

Narcissa's eyes rose at that, but inwardly she was pleased. Apparently her old classmate thought she was almost as scary as the Dark Lord if she was doing things like that. "Did anyone see her?"

"Just Lockhart, and he's keeping his head down. He won't give away information for an uncertain reward."

She helped him to the bathroom and turned the knobs to fill the tub. He was right about Lockhart. That man had quickly seen just what being in the Dark Lord's inner circle entailed, and it was obvious he wanted no part in it. So far only Bella had escaped the Dark Lord's wrath, though Lucius had fared the worst by far.

The loss of that old diary had truly enraged the old megalomaniac. It made Narcissa wonder just what it had been. She had never before seen such towering rage from the monster. After he had calmed a bit he had declared that perhaps his ranks needed some new, fresh blood.

The very thought filled Narcissa with fear. Only over her dead body would she let Draco become a Death Eater.

Sadly, that was a distinct possibility, as she was no match against the Dark Lord. Nor was Lucius.

"Oh, love, this is magnificent,” Lucius said as he slipped into the bubble filled water, a look of intense pleasure on his face.

That gave Narcissa a splendid idea.

She flicked her wand at the bathroom door, using the same spells she'd used on the bedroom door. She felt her magic sing as she locked her husband up so that no one could touch him. Not even the Dark Lord could enter easily.

She'd always excelled at locking up what was hers.

And the naked man in the tub was, at least for the moment, entirely hers.

With that thought she removed her own robes and slipped into the large tub next to him.

He let out a moan of appreciation as skin met skin and she smiled.

Yes, he was all hers.

XXX

Hermione, to her annoyance, felt better than she had in months upon awaking in the Hospital Wing on the second day of November. She'd endured a lecture on self-care from the mediwitch, as well as admonishments from Harry and a letter from Padfoot that would have been a howler if he had anything but pure hatred for those things.

Uncle Remus had told her once about the regular howlers he had received from his mother while at Hogwarts. Apparently they’d gotten so bad that McGonagall had begun routing all owls directed at Padfoot through her office.

Sadly, her renewed health had not stopped the nightmares from returning. They were mild compared to what she had once suffered, but they were relentless. After the fourth night in a row Harry leant her the invisibility cloak and she took to sleeping in his bed. She would sneak up to his room once everyone was asleep and let him hum her to sleep.

Only there did the nightmares stay away.

Neville and Ron said nothing about this, they both knew of her nightmares. Ron had even witnessed a few as they were growing up. Dean and Seamus slept like the dead, she didn't think an attacking dragon would wake them.

But Mclaggen worried her. More than once she'd caught him watching her with eyes that were impossible to read. They didn't make her feel dirty, but they did make her feel like she'd done something incredibly wrong. Improbable, as it was he that had done terrible things.

So, despite all sorts of horrific things occurring in the world, her life at Hogwarts returned to a semblance of normality, except for one thing.

Draco Malfoy.

She was at a loss to understand exactly why he had stopped avoiding her. She didn't remember much after Padfoot had told her about Bellatrix Lestrange's escape. Everything was rather hazy, making her unsure what memories were real and which were figments of her imagination.

She knew she had edited Mr. Lovegood's article quite a bit. She also knew she had gone to bed, but been unable to sleep, so she had cast an illusion on her bed and wandered the halls of Hogwarts.

She was sure that she hadn't been wandering for too long when she had found Malfoy.

After that things got very hazy. There had been running, a broken hand, hair nuzzling (She was positive that was her imagination.), Professor Snape acting oddly, and her coming within inches of giving into the bloodlust her magic had created.

Thank Merlin that Madam Pomfrey had arrived when she did.

Now, well rested and thinking clearly she didn't want to hurt Malfoy at all. In fact, she felt the oddest urge to protect him, though she didn't know from what. The only thing even remotely threatening in his life at the moment was her.

And she wasn't going to reach a point where she lost control again. She hated the lost memories and the feelings that lingered. It reminded her terrifyingly of when she’d pictured Malfoy's broken and bloody body in the carnage of her empty classroom.

At that thought she looked up and over at where she had imagined him lying. It was hard to picture as the desks were now arranged neatly, not thrown about, as they had been.

It was almost the end of November now. Almost two years ago he’d confronted her about Narcissa and her wedding plans. Almost two years since he’d called her a mudblood.

And now he was keeping silent about her scars, chasing her through corridors, ensuring she acquired medical attention, and – most oddly – giving her the most peculiar smiles whenever she happened to look at him.

How had things changed so quickly?

They were by no means anywhere close to following Narcissa Malfoy’s plans, but they were a lot closer than she’d ever thought they would be.

And Hermione was rather sure that almost every moment of their growing alliance had been orchestrated by Draco Malfoy’s mother.

That woman was bloody dangerous.

A soft knock sounded on the doorframe and she looked up to see the object of her thoughts in the doorway. Oddly enough, he looked rather hesitant and- Her thoughts paused, unsure of what word to use to describe what else she saw on his face.

His rather handsome face, to be exact.

When had he become so handsome? Was he always this way? Had she just been blind?

No. She wasn’t blind.

“Yes?”

“Can we talk?”

She eyed him curiously and tried to lift one eyebrow. She was sad to note that she didn’t quite manage it, as her right eyebrow tagged along for part of the ride with her left one.

She really needed to practice more in front of a mirror before using that expression.

“About what?”

“What happened on the train.”

She felt her entire body tense up, “Drop it, Malfoy.”

He held his hands up in surrender, “Alright, but can I explain why I was avoiding you afterwards?”

Part of her clamored to know, but the rest of her asked why she should care. He’d been disgusted by her, shocked at the vile words carved into her flesh like runes on a stone. Why did he need to explain? Was this going to be some half-assed apology? Likely.

“No.”

“Hermione, please, I need to-“

She stood up suddenly and pulled out her wand. She didn’t aim it at him, but his eyes still widened at the sight.

“Drop it, Malfoy. I don’t discuss anything about THAT. With ANYONE, understand? And don’t call me Hermione, I didn’t give you permission.”

His eyes flashed before he spoke, “May I please call you Hermione?”

“No.”

His silver eyes flashed again, but a little differently. They almost looked…hurt. But that couldn’t be right.

“Why not? You may call me Draco, we are family.”

She scoffed, “If you haven’t forgotten, there’s a war starting out there. We’re on different sides, we can’t exactly act chummy with each other by using first names.”

His lips twisted into a wry smile, “Point.”

“Malfoy…”

“Fine, Black. I won’t call you Hermione, at least in public. But I’m not going to stop thinking it.”

Frustration bubbled up inside of her, but she stomped it down, she was NOT going to lose control around Draco Malfoy. Not again.

“What is with you? Why are you so determined to call me Hermione?”

“Can I explain about what happened after the train?”

“No!”

He shrugged, “Then I guess I can’t answer your question.”

“Arrgghh! Get out!”

She aimed her wand at him and he stared at it for a moment before slowly backing out of the room. Once he was out of sight she lowered her wand and almost sagged in relief. She could barely stand to look at her limbs when she washed at the moment. There was no way she was going to discuss ANYTHING about them right now.

She jerked in surprise when she heard him say from down the corridor, “Have a good day, Black.”

She groaned at the way he said her name and fell back into her chair. Bloody hell. Just what had gotten into him?

Rolling her eyes in annoyance at boys and all the nonsense they created, she pulled the book she’d been reading off the desk and into her lap.

Her finger moved over the page until she found where she had left off -is a distinct creation. No two are equivalent, nevertheless, links can be fashioned amongst wands when…