Healing the Heart (Dramione)

31 || Glass and Blood

Hermione was startled when she opened the door to find Inaya. "Inaya? Come in." She stepped back so the dark-haired witch could enter. "Thank you for what you said this morning. I know Draco appreciated it." Two bright green eyes lifted to meet Hermione's. "What is it? What's wrong?" Hermione knew that expression, she'd seen it on Healers many times before; something bad had happened and Iyana would have to deliver the news.

"Draco."

She closed her eyes. No. "What's wrong? Is he hurt?"

Inaya shook her head. "It's the anniversary of his mother's death."

Hermione was already locking the hotel door. "How did you-" Oh, she remembered. "Right. Legilimens." Draco's mother was murdered three years ago this day. He was devastated when it happened. When her body was found he vowed to find and kill the person who had killed her. The first and second years, after the witch had been caught, he was quieter, and oddly resigned. What had happened to change that?

"I went to see if he was alright after what Healer De Los said about him. The hotel door was opened. He wouldn't say anything, but he didn't have to. I could hear it, his pain." The two ran down the hall till they reached his door. "I don't think I should talk to him. Look, I know you two had a fight and I had a rather large part in that. I know you aren't on the best of terms right now but he needs you. He won't listen to me." Inaya gave the door a slight push and motioned with her head. "He's in the bathroom."

Hermione cautiously walked towards the door, jumping slightly when she heard glass shatter. "Draco?" Is this how he felt months ago when she broke up with Ron? Unsure of the state of the person sitting behind that door? Unsure if they would listen when comfort and reason were given? She pushed open the door and took in the sight before her. She was sure Draco had been shocked when he saw her miserable state but this was an entirely different scene.

Shards of glass littered the bathroom floor. Sharp edges covered in blood reflected the last rays of sunlight. She surmised that the glass came from a vase which previously held the flowers now scattered near the sink. He was leaning against the tub, much like she had been, his head rolled back, his eyes closed. His white button-up shirt was spotted with blood as were his dark jeans. Where was all the blood-? Her eyes found his left arm. "No." She dropped to her knees next to his side. "Draco!" She carefully took his hand and pulled back his shredded sleeve. Hermione expected his arm to look something like his shirt so she was shocked when his skin was smooth and unscathed.

He had turned his head and was looking at her with bloodshot eyes. "I can't get rid of it. No matter how much I cut at it, it stays." He lifted a blood covered hand and gently pushed her hands off of his arm. "It heals right over, almost immediately." He had reached for a piece of glass, intent on showing her.

"Don't." She grabbed his wrist. "Draco. This may not look like it's hurting you but it is. You're losing a lot of blood." It was only once he had dropped the glass shard that she released his arm. "Draco, talk to me." She placed a hand on his cheek, turning his face towards her. Cuts covered his face with the largest over the bridge of his nose. "Draco, what happened?"

His stormy eyes glared at her. "Do you know why my mother was killed?"

She shook her head and gently started rubbing her thumb over his skin.

"She was killed by a former Death Eater; Alecto Carrow. She was supposed to spend the rest of her life in Azkaban but when she heard that I was getting off without punishment and my father was going to walk free after five years, I guess she lost it. She broke out." He shut his eyes tightly. "She wanted my father to have nothing when he got out. First she wanted to kill my mother and then me so he had no one left when he was released."

Hermione shifted on the floor so she could wrap her arm around his shoulder and rest his head against her chest. He responded by gripping her blouse.

"She killed herself rather than going back to Azkaban." Hot tears poured down his face. "If she hadn't killed herself, I would have killed her. She was a bloody coward. She always had been."

"Draco," She placed her forehead against the top of his head. "I'm so sorry." She pressed a soft kiss to his temple. "Draco, this does not define you." Her fingers brushed his faded mark. "This isn't who you are anymore. You never were this person. You never truly accepted it, it was forced upon you."

His face twisted into a sneer. "You can't run from the past, 'Mione. It always catches up to you. I'm always going to be a suspect when Dark Wizards are concerned. I'll always be a suspect. Unless I chop off my arm, this," He motioned angrily to his Mark. "will always be a part of me, and even then, it'll still brand me."

Hermione shook her head even though she knew he was right. "Look at it, it's almost white now. It's just a scar. That Belgian wizard was an idiot." She tightened her hold on his arm. "This is not who you are." She whispered. "I know who you are now, and so do you. That's all that matters."

He let out a ragged sigh before chuckling. "What is it with us and bathrooms? We need to stop hanging out in them."

She couldn't help but smile in response. "I'm not sure what're you're talking about. I think trashing bathrooms is a rather fun hobby. It's a nice change from the mundane."

They were both wet with blood and water by the time Draco released her shirt and stood. Wordlessly, she took his hand and pulled him towards his bed. He needed sleep. He looked awful, lost, and exhausted. She drew back the covers on his bed and pushed him into the sheets. After taking off her shoes, she slid into bed next to him. He wrapped his arms around her middle and buried his face against her chest. She wrapped one arm around his shoulder and the other around his head. Neither seemed to care about the mess in the bathroom, nor the blood on the sheets; they could deal with that in the morning. She pressed her lips against his hair and waited for his breathing to even out before she closed her eyes and succumbed to sleep.