Dream Of Me, To Keep You Safe

Haven

"Draco?" Hermione murmured, touching my hand gently to snap me into the land of the living.
"Yes?" I asked, raising my head.
"Merlin's beard! You're freezing. I can see the shape of your ribs," she sighed.
"I didn't think it was so bad..." I muttered.
"Well, aren't they feeding you?" She demanded, "I swear the standards here! This isn't a prison, it's a torture chamber. The Ministry will hear about this."
I chuckled slightly. "You sound like me; 'My father will hear about this!'" I mocked.
"Now is not the time, Draco!" She sighed exasperatedly through a smile.
"It doesn't matter, there'll never be a time for this. We both know I'll die here, the Ministry won't help. I was sent here for being a traitor - to be forgotten. Azkaban is their personal oubliette. You'd be happier if you had someone cast an obliviate spell on these memories." With that I stood up and made for the door but my progress was stopped by Hermione's iron grip on my wrist, her fingers twined around the dark mark on my arm. "Forget me," I begged her, "Please."
"You know I can't." With that her other hand found its way to tangle in my ragged hair, her fingers winding around the dingy matted strands that no longer shone silver. I stepped closer, almost stepping on her toes. Her fingers traced the mark inside my wrist then up my lack of biceps to rest between my shoulder blades and pull me down. I lost balance and fell against her.
"Oh, Draco," she sighed, pulling my arm around her shoulder to support me, "You need a hospital, you're getting too thin."
"I'm fine," I argued, squirming from her grip. The room still spun though.
"For goodness sake, give up your pride and let me help! Or is it beneath you still to take help from a filthy Mudblood?" She half-shouted.
I flinched. "I shouldn't have said those things, I know that."
"Then why did you?" She whispered, her eyes not daring to graze any part of me, but she couldn't hide her tears.
"I was afraid of you. I'm not a Griffyndor like Ron, I'm a coward."
"How could you be afraid of me?" She asked, perplexed.
"You are smart, funny and compassionate. How could I not find you perfect, even with your amazingly frizzy hair?" I asked, twirling a strand in my fingers.
"You sure as hell didn't act like I was all that," she replied, I pulled my hand back like a child afraid of frostbite yet she pulled it towards her again, "Don't stop."
"You like me playing with your hair?" I asked, astonished.
She nodded. I motioned for her to sit in front of me on the bench. From my perch on the table my knees bent up around her hips and her head was aligned with my hands. Our heights seemed to fit together. I ran her hair softly through my fingers, feeling like a beggar touching fine silk. I was never any good with styling hair.
"How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Less dizzy," I replied, twirling her hair over my finger then back in an abhorrent excuse for a French twist.
"Is it done?"
"Kind of... I need a bobby pin to secure it," I confessed, she produced one from her pocket. "What else is in that pocket of yours? Kitchen sink?"
"Yes," she answered honestly, "I cast a spell on them so I could carry more."
"Oh," I muttered, "It's done," the second I said so, it fell out in a wild mess, our heads bumped as we both leaned down for the bobby pin.
She giggled, "Am I pretty yet?" She teased, facing me.
"Always." I whispered, aware of how her hand was now resting on my thigh and she was getting closer to my mouth. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"Something overdue," she replied, slipping her legs over my hips like a gymnast and crossing her ankles behind me, "I'm going to kiss you now," she warned, her breath warm on my neck. She placed butterfly kisses across my jaw hiding under my short beard, prolonging the moment until her mouth found mine. Then it happened, a firm kiss that said everything inexorable that words could not. There was nothing gentle about it, both of us pressing like if we pressed hard enough we would fuse together and be inseparable. My head was fit to burst.

"Don't stop," I begged as she pulled back.
"I must, Ron will be worried," she decided. I felt my chest twist at those words, but I nodded. "Dream of me, to keep you safe, I'll try to see you again soon." She whispered.
I couldn't watch her leave. The door had already shut behind her before I realised I still had her bobby pin.