Summary: Draco is attacked by a werewolf during a stakeout mission alone. Not sure where else to go or what to do in his delirious state, he ends up apparating to the doorstep of his partner's apartment in the middle of the night. Hermione is not thrilled.
Hermione had had every intention of going to bed early that night. She'd had dinner as soon as she got back from the auror's office then settled down to read shortly before bed. Unfortunately, her one cup of tea had been refilled twice and she was now hours past the time she'd intended to go to bed at. At this point, she only had one more chapter left in her book and she didn't see what harm could come in finishing it now, so she heated her cold tea and adjusted herself on the sofa.
She was so invested in her book she screamed when someone suddenly apparated into her living room.
"Hey, Granger," Draco groaned before collapsing in front of her.
Her book now forgotten, Hermione jumped off the sofa and dropped to her knees beside Draco. He groaned as she rolled him over, but didn't open his eyes. His skin was feverish and he had several cuts and scratches up and down his arms. His robes were torn and he had blood coming from a gash on his forehead.
"Draco? Draco, talk to me!" she yelled, shaking him until he groaned. "What happened?"
The last she'd known, he'd been on a stake-out mission near the Scotland border. He'd offered to go alone when it became obvious no one else had wanted to join him. No one enjoyed stake-out missions, but Draco always seemed to volunteer when he had the option. Clearly, the stake-out hadn't gone smoothly as he was now bleeding out on Hermione's freshly cleaned carpetting.
"Werewolf," Draco gasped. His hand grabbed hers tightly and Hermione's eyes widened.
"There was a werewolf?" she shrieked. Draco flinched at the sound, but Hermione was too glad he hadn't drifted off again to care. "You should have called me! What were you thinking?"
Draco blinked at her and smiled lazily, reaching up to tug on a loose curl by her face.
"You're pretty," he said dreamily. Hermione panicked even more. She struggled to get him on his feet and haul him over to her fireplace.
"I'm gonna take you to St. Mungo's," she told him. He didn't respond and Hermione glanced at him to see he was unconscious again. Hastily, she grabbed a handful of Floo powder and yelled for St. Mungo's. She held onto Draco's limp body tightly and collapsed on the floor when they finally landed.
"Miss?" a healer asked. Hermione lifted her head and the healer gasped. "Miss Granger! Are you alright? What's happened?"
"Draco," she said, heaving him up awkwardly. The healer immediately levitated him onto a stretcher and yelled for others to join her.
"What happened?" the healer asked, dragging Hermione with her down the hall.
"I don't—I don't know," Hermione answered. The healer glanced at her and Hermione flushed. "He was alone on a stake-out mission before he apparated to my apartment. He said something about a werewolf, but passed out after."
The healers held her back as they rushed Draco past the operating doors and Hermione stared after them. The healer that had met her first gently took her hand and guided her back to the waiting room.
"I'll come get you as soon as he's stable," she promised, helping Hermione sit down. "You shouldn't be alone while you wait, though. Is there anyone I should call for you?"
Hermione started to shake her head then stopped and nodded instead. It was the middle of the night and she knew he had an early morning meeting, but Harry was exactly what she needed right now.
"Harry?" she asked. The healer nodded and sent a patronus to him before holding Hermione's hand once more.
"He's going to be okay, Miss Granger," the healer promised. Hermione just nodded numbly, staring straight ahead and trying to remember what Draco's injuries had been. Before she could get too lost in thought, the front doors burst open and Harry raced into the waiting room wearing his pajama bottoms and a t shirt that did not match.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed. He dropped onto the seat beside her and hugged her tightly. Over her shoulder, he nodded at the healer and said, "Thank you."
The healer nodded and disappeared, leaving Hermione and Harry alone in the waiting room.
"Hermione, what happened?" Harry asked, pulling back to look at her. Her eyes were wide and she was clearly in shock, but seemed otherwise okay.
"Draco was attacked by a werewolf," Hermione answered. She blinked at him and there were tears in her eyes. She frowned and wiped them away, wondering where they had come from before looking back at Harry. "He apparated to my apartment and I brought him here, but he was unconscious."
Harry pursed his lips and hugged her again. Hermione didn't cry, but she was shaking ever so slightly. They waited for an hour like that before a healer came back and said they could see him.
"He's stable for now," the healer explained, opening the door to Draco's room. "He was bit, but it's not a full moon so we're not sure what to expect. We'll probably keep him here for another day after he wakes up just to monitor his symptoms and determine how badly the bites affected him."
Hermione and Harry nodded, thanking her for the update before walking into the room. Hermione stared at Draco for several seconds. His shoulder was covered in bandages and he looked peaceful as he slept.
"I need to call Ginny to let her know everything is okay," Harry told her. Hermione nodded and moved further into the room while Harry stepped out.
She settled down in a chair beside Draco's bed and looked around the room. It was pretty bare. No books and only a stock photo for decoration. It was good he wouldn't be there for long or he was certain to go insane with the bland room.
Hermione stayed in Draco's room with him while Harry contacted Ginny and Mrs. Malfoy. Once both had been informed of what had happened, Harry returned to Hermione's side by Draco's bed.
"One of us should stay so he doesn't wake up alone," Harry suggested. Hermione nodded, though she wasn't sure she'd be leaving after seeing Draco collapse on her living room floor. For as long as they'd been partners, she still didn't like seeing him injured. She didn't like seeing any of the aurors injured, but it struck differently when it was her own partner who was hurt.
"I can stay if you'd like to go back to Ginny," Hermione offered. Harry tried to argue with her, but Hermione insisted. "I'm not going to sleep tonight, Harry, not after seeing him collapse in my living room. You should go home and I'll send a patronus if there are any updates, okay?"
"Okay," Harry agreed finally. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Hermione's forehead before leaving the room.
Hermione didn't remember falling asleep beside Draco's hospital bed, but she was very aware of someone holding her hand tightly when she woke up. Groggily, she looked up to see Draco sitting up on his bed, eyes wide. As she moved, his attention snapped back to her and she rubbed her face to try and wake herself up more.
"Hermione?" he whispered. Hermione nodded, propping her chin up on her hand and looking up at him tiredly. "What happened? Why am I at St. Mungo's?"
"You were attacked by a werewolf on a stakeout mission," Hermione said, yawning partway through her sentence. Draco frowned. "You apparated into my flat and I took you to St. Mungo's. Are you feeling alright? Should I call a healer?"
"I feel like I can hear and smell everything," Draco told her. His eyes darted down the hall and Hermione turned to try and see what he'd seen. "Wait, you said werewolf?" he asked, looking back at her worriedly.
"Yeah, but it wasn't a full moon so you aren't likely to turn," she said, grabbing his hand with both of hers and smiling at him. "I'll call a healer in and they can explain better, alright?"
Draco nodded, but refused to let go of her hand. After realising there was no way Draco would let her go, she settled for sending a patronus to the nearest healer to alert them that Draco had woken up. A few minutes later, a healer from the night before walked into the room with a smile.
"Good morning, Auror Malfoy," he said, closing the door behind him. "I'm Healer Emmett and I'm just going to do a quick check up and run some tests, alright?"
Draco eyed him carefully but nodded. His grip on Hermione's hand tightened as he neared them. When Healer Emmett reached Draco's bedside, Draco's grip on Hermione's hand was so tight it was almost painful.
"Draco," Hermione hissed, trying to pull her hand from his. Draco gave her a warning look that shocked Hermione enough she stopped trying to pull away. "What?" she asked.
Healer Emmett murmured a spell and Draco's head snapped back to look at the healer. What shocked Hermione most was not how fast Draco had moved, but the fact that he growled—curled lip and all—at Healer Emmett.
The room went silent as both Hermione and Healer Emmett stared at Draco with wide eyes.
"Draco? Did you just growl?" Hermione asked, tugging on his hand to bring his attention back to her. Draco didn't look at her until Healer Emmett took a step back and even then, he was hesitant to look away. "Draco, what was that?"
Healer Emmett shifted and Draco twisted around quickly to snarl and glare at him. Hermione jumped to her feet, wrapping one arm around Draco's shoulders as he leaned towards the healer.
"Leave," Draco growled at the man. Healer Emmett's eyes widened and he glanced at Hermione. She nodded and he left the room quickly. As soon as the door was shut, Draco relaxed and looked up at Hermione.
"What was that?" she asked, pulling her hand away from him.
"The spell," he said. Hermione gave him a look and he explained further. "I didn't know it. What if it hurt you?"
"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed, "We are in a hospital. The spells here won't hurt me and even if they did, you were the one getting tested, not me. Is that really why you freaked out?"
Draco nodded and glared at Healer Emmett who was standing in the hallway, reading through what Hermione assumed to be Draco's file.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked, sitting on the bed beside Draco.
"I don't know," Draco answered, looking back at her. "He came too close and I just snapped. I thought he was going to hurt you."
Hermione stared at him for a moment then nodded.
"Alright, I have a theory," she announced. Draco looked at her curiously. "You're going to have to let Healer Emmett back in though to finish his tests, okay?"
Draco's eyes darkened at the thought but he nodded as he grabbed hold of Hermione's hand again. She let him as she got Healer Emmett's attention and waved him back in. Just like she figured, he stayed further away than he had the first time and kept his wand at his side.
"Auror Malfoy," he said, smiling at Draco. Hermione could tell Draco was tense, but he didn't react as Healer Emmett performed two more tests.
"Healer Emmett?" Hermione asked once he'd finished. Healer Emmett glanced up at her to show he was paying attention so she said, "Do you have the blood reports from last night? I have an idea as to what might be going on, but I'd need to see the blood reports."
"Oh, I think I know what's happening as well, Auror Granger," Healer Emmett said. He cast a nonverbal spell that produced all of Draco's vitals. "You see, while Auror Malfoy is not a full blooded werewolf and will not be affected by the full moon, he will exhibit wolf like traits. His blood reports came back normal, but when I looked at his brain functions, he has many traits similar to werewolves such as possessiveness and protective behavior."
"Which would explain his earlier reaction," Hermione supplied. Healer Emmett nodded. Draco looked confused, so Hermione turned and tried to explain better. "The werewolf bite did alter you, but not entirely. You'll likely be much more protective and possessive about those you care about, much like a wolf does with his pack. When Healer Emmett cast a spell you didn't know, you reacted in a protective manner."
Draco nodded slowly, still eyeing Healer Emmett warily. Hermione squeezed his hand and he glanced at her. She smiled at him encouragingly, but when Healer Emmett spoke up, they both turned to look at him.
"The change in brain chemistry shouldn't concern you," he said. He brushed aside Draco's vitals and smiled at them both. "In fact, it will likely enhance your partnership. You will experience a greater awareness of your surroundings and have quicker reflexes. We'd like to visit with you closer to the full moon, of course, to make sure there's nothing unexpected, but for the most part, you should be able to return to your life as normal."
Hermione and Draco thanked Healer Emmett who nodded and announced he would bring the discharge papers back shortly. As soon as he left, Draco relaxed and turned to look at Hermione.
"I'm part wolf now," he said. Hermione laughed and nodded. "That doesn't worry you?"
"No, Draco," she replied, smiling at him. She lifted their hands that were still interlocked. "You're my partner and I trust you with my life."
"My new wolf has taken a very strong liking to you, Granger," Draco said. His eyes widened after he'd spoken as if he hadn't meant to say that and Hermione grinned.
"Oh? How so?" she teased. Draco glared at her and she laughed. "Come on," she said, sliding off the bed and pulling him along with her. "We'll talk about that after we get you discharged and tell Harry you're okay."
Draco growled at the sound of Harry's name and Hermione would be a liar if she said she didn't like it. Nevertheless, she said nothing and led Draco out of his hospital room and to the front desk where they quickly filled out the paperwork before apparating back to Hermione's flat. If they were going to continue working together, Hermione was going to need Draco to explain why he suddenly refused to let go of her hand and growled at almost any man who approached her. She was not upset with the answer.