The Invisible Wars

Chapter 14

Living with Harry, Ron, George, and occasionally, Percy is hard, but with the addition of Draco, it was a nightmare for Hermione. Sure she's used to Ron and George's constant bickering and teasing but everything turned serious and coated with malice whenever Draco joined in. And when they are not trying to hex each other out to the next country, they meet at Grimmauld Place for Order of the Phoenix meetings. Except for Hermione and George, they always stay behind to look after Draco, who had vacated the living room and moved to Percy's old bedroom much to his dislike. On the bright side, he is slowly getting his strength back, though he still requires assistance in some things like going to the bathroom. Good thing George is willing to help, as he seems to be the only person Draco truly listens to in the Burrow.

Sometimes Hermione let herself wonder, if Draco wasn't brought up prejudicing blood statuses, if at their first night in Hogwarts he befriended Harry rather than start a seven year long rivalry with him, would they be friends now? It's tempting to think there is an alternative to everything, a saving grace, but either way he ended up here with them. That means a lot, doesn't it?

"The door is open, what are you standing there for?" said a drawling voice from inside.

Hermione jolted, not realizing she had been standing outside Draco's room for too long, and that he could see her through the small gap of the door. In the past few days, he had turned observant because there is nothing else he could do, by now he could tell whose sound of footsteps are climbing up the stairs, and that's how he knew Hermione was outside his room. She would always pause at his doorway before tapping it twice, five times if she's in a hurry, like she needed to build up momentum before fully dealing with Draco.

"I-I got lost in my own thoughts." Hermione said.

Draco glanced at her with pale eyes as she stood at the foot of his bed. One by one, she laid the food and potion on the table, with the day's issue of the Daily Prophet, something Draco did not ask for but she was very considerable to provide.

"It's getting stuffy in here, d'you want me to open the window to let in some light?" Hermione asked. Percy's room is the second biggest in the Burrow, with a bed, a large shelf occupying the entire wall on one side, his Hogwarts trunks, trophies, and his prefect badge displayed on a frame hanging above a medium-sized dresser. But because it was not occupied for a long time since Percy got his own house and moved out, cobwebs resides on every corner and the beige colored curtain had turned into a dirty brown with the windows latch turning rusty.

"Don't." Draco replied, but still she walked towards the window despite his answer, drawing in a small slit enough to clarify her patient's ghostly figure.

Draco fixed her with consternation. Her hair flows on her back and her eyes the color of maple leaves, more vibrant than his grey eyes, speckled with light caramel streaks. The only color in the black and white world of his.

"You hate me." He stated, more to remind himself.

"Yeah, that's why I healed you in the last five days." Hermione said, moving back at the foot of his bed. "It's because I hate you so much. So tell me, Malfoy, how do you feel when I pinch your legs like this?"

"Ow! BLOODY HELL!" Draco blurted out, pain shoot up his spine.

"Charming."

"Do you really have to do that?" Draco peered up at her, his cold gray eyes glaring roughly.

"Actually, I do. I need to know where it still hurts." Hermione replied.

"Can't you just ask me?"

"I could have. But it did not occur to me you have a pain tolerance of a two year old." Hermione quipped. She was examining his wound, anticipating his comeback because it had been their morning routine, throwing biting comments at each other after breakfast. Today however he chose to remain quiet, glowering at her with all the hatred he could muster up.