The Adult World

Chapter 11: Grief

Hermione opened her eyes and tried to catch her breath. With a whimper, she took in the ash and smoke that filtered around her vision in the doorway of the office. Her ears rang with a high pitched noise that drilled into her aching head. The explosion had pushed her face-down into her office. Realization hit her hard, as her breath caught in her throat, and she quickly pushed herself to her knees. Taking a deep breath, she looked over her shoulder, and cried out.

Hermione scrambled toward the bleeding mess that lay in the middle of the room. The explosion had knocked many of the tables and chairs out of the way, strewing them around the room like casualties of war. Hermione looked the girl over, running her hands over her trying to find where she was bleeding the most. She avoided looking at the girls face, which was swollen and splattered with blood.

It was only when someone grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back, did Hermione realize that she had been screaming. Draco was on his knees next to her, shaking her shoulders and calling her name.

“Are you hurt!?” He yelled, trying to figure out if the blood that coated the room was only the students, or a mixture of the two of them. He shook her shoulders again, and wrenched her back, when she looked away from him, turning her gaze back to the student.

“Hermione, are you hurt!? You have to answer me!” He cried, attempting to get her to meet his eyes.

Her wide-eyed gaze met his, and he saw that she had just realized that he was there. “What?” She asked, her voice raw with emotion.

“Are you hurt?” He asked, a little quieter then before, relieved that she was talking to him.

She shook her head, “No…” She cried, then looked back at the student with a sob. “Oh god…”

Draco nodded, then moved around, scooping the injured girl into his arms. “Come on.” He said, standing, and rushing toward her office.

Hermione quickly followed behind, still in shock from what had just happened. She stood idly by as he knocked the ceramic lid from the floo powder, and threw it into the fire.

Draco subconsciously thanked the Headmistress for having the forethought to leave the floo doors open for specific destinations in professor’s offices. He clearly stated his destination, and stepped into the fire with one more look at Hermione.

Hermione looked at the broken pieces of the lid that littered the stone floor. She swallowed hard, and looked up just in time to see Draco disappear with Amanda. Shaking her head, she took a deep, steady breath, then grabbed some floo powder, and followed him.

********

Walking out of the fireplace, Hermione dusted the soot and ash from her shoulders as she looked around St. Mungo’s for Draco. She spotted him at the end of the hall, handing the girl off to some Healers in white robes. He made an attempt to follow them, but another worker headed him off, and gestured to a small room behind him. He turned to see where the worker gestured, and met Hermione’s eyes. Turning back to the worker, he nodded his thanks, and made his way toward her.

Taking her arm, he led her to a small sitting area behind them. Sitting down in the violently purple, and uncomfortable chairs, Draco reached over and gently took one of her hands in his.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, looking at a small bump on her forehead. He reached out and ran his thumb gently across it, then across a small cut on her cheek. “I think you should see a Healer, just in case.”

Hermione pulled back, as if burned. “I’m fine.” She said in clipped words. “I don’t need to see a Healer.”

Nodding, Draco leaned back again. Neither one of them knew how long they waited, but they didn’t move from their spots, nor did they release their hands. They watched as people came and went from the floo, and nodded at Professor McGonagall when she arrived.

The Headmistress went straight to the desk, and was taken down a long hall, and out of sight. Hermione looked over at Draco, but didn’t say a word. He gently squeezed her hand, and looked back at her. He opened his mouth to say something, when she looked away and whimpered. He followed her gaze, and saw that a grim looking Professor McGonagall and Healer were walking toward them.

They both stood up, and started to walk forward, when Hermione reached over and grabbed his arm harshly. “I can’t.” She said, her voice breaking at the last word.

Draco looked over at the Professor and Healer, who appeared to be waiting for them, and nodded. “Alright. I’ll be right back.”

He gently reached up and removed her hand from his arm, and headed over to the small group. Hermione stood, wringing her hands as she watched the interaction between them. She knew, just by their body language, and the way that Draco shook his head, that the news wasn’t good. She watched as Professor McGonagall put her hand on Draco’s shoulder, him nodding at something she was saying. She shifted uneasily as they both turned and looked at her, standing alone at entrance of the waiting room. She bit her lip hard, as she watched Draco shake the Healers hand, say goodbye to Professor McGonagall, and turn back to her, not meeting her eyes. She glanced over his shoulder at the Professor, who gave her a sad smile, then left in the floo.

Draco came and stood in front of her. She stared at the clasp of his robes, refusing to meet his eyes. “Hermione…” He said, then hesitated, shifting his weight slightly.

“Tell me.” She said quietly. Finally looking up into his eyes.

He looked back down at her, the words sticking in his throat as he gazed into her watery eyes. “She’s dead.” He rasped out, wishing he had said it differently afterward.

She blinked in shock, then let her gaze fall back to the clasp, “I don’t want to be here anymore.” She said, in a far-off tone.

Draco closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes, he took in her far-away look, and gently led her to the floo.

He sent her first, then followed behind, hoping that she wasn’t in so much shock that she moved out of his way when she arrived in their common room. Professor McGonagall had told him that she had opened the floo so they could go directly there after they left.

Stepping out of the grate, he saw her standing with her back to him, her head hanging down. She was holding her hands in front of her face, looking down at them without a sound. He came up behind her, and looked at them over her shoulder. He silently cursed, when he noticed that she was looking at the dried blood on her hands. He took her arm, and turned her toward him. Still cursing himself for not thinking of taking care of things at St. Mungo’s.

“Come on, we’ll…” He stopped, noticing the tears in her eyes, and the way she was looking him over. He looked down at himself, seeing the dark spots of blood that were all over his robes for the first time.

Hermione cried out, her hands reaching frantically for the clasp to his robes. She ripped them open, and threw them on the ground. Draco stood silently watching her, his hands at his sides. The shirt he wore under his robes was also stained, the red blood standing out more prominently on the white button down shirt. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out again, and tore the front of his shirt open, the buttons flying around the room.

She began sobbing as she wrenched the shirt from his body, and threw it onto the growing pile on the floor. The white undershirt he wore only had a few small spots on it, but wasn’t left on for long, as she tore it off of him and dropped it to the ground. Draco stood silently in front of her bare-chested. He watched as her eyes wildly searched him over, then dropped down to look at herself.

Her small body shook with the force of her sobs, as her shaking hands reached up to unclasp her robes. She fumbled with the slide, her vision becoming blurry with tears, and she cried out in frustration. Warm, gentle hands enveloped hers to help undo the clasp, then brushed the robes off her shoulders. They fell to the floor silently, only gasps and sobs echoing the room. His hands stilled hers when she reached for the buttons on her blouse.

“Hermione…” He said quietly. “Stop.”

She breathed hard, drawing in ragged breaths, looking at her hands in his. A strangled cry fell from her lips as her emotions broke inside. She started crying earnestly, and was pulled into Draco’s hard, strong chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and caressed her back as she cried. He whispered soothingly to her, running his hands over her back, and through her hair.

As her tears slowed, he felt her leaning harder against him, her energy drained. He held her up, listening to her take slow, calming breaths. When he was sure she was finished, he held her arms, and leaned back to look at her face. He grimaced at the sight of blood in her hair, and dirt on her face.

“Come on, let’s get cleaned up.”

At her nod, he led her into his room and to the bathroom. She leaned on the sink, as she watched him turn on the shower, and find a towel. He handed her the towel, and she gave him a small smile when he shifted uncomfortably.

“Right, I’ll just leave you to it then.” He said, making his way to the door.

Hermione grabbed his arm, stopping him in the doorway. “No, don’t leave. Stay. Please.”

He turned back, taking in the desperate look on her face and sighed, “Alright.” He looked over at the shower, then back to her. She smiled, and raised her eyebrows.

“You can turn you’re back.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. That’s what I was thinking.” He said, quickly turning his back to her.

He listened as she undressed and dropped her clothes on the floor. When he heard the shower door close, he turned back around, gathered her dirty clothes, and put them in the hamper. Catching sight of his dirty, and blood-caked hands, he decided that washing up at the sink wasn’t a bad idea.

He quickly undid his pants, noticing the blood stains on the knees, and threw them in the hamper with the rest of the bloody garments. Standing in only his boxers, he grabbed a wash cloth and proceeded to wash himself the best way he could at the sink. He groaned when he noticed some blood in his hair, and attempted to rinse it out. Wiping the steam that was accumulating on the mirror away, he combed his hair, and dried off.

Quietly, he went into his room, slipped on a pair of pajama pants and a white shirt, and re-entered the bathroom. Hermione stood in front of the mirror with a large towel wrapped around her. Her reflection watched as he came in the room, then focused back on herself as she combed her hair with his brush. He watched as she looked at herself, her hand halting in it’s descent through her hair. She gently brought brush back to the counter, her hair half brushed, and sniffled.

Her eyes welled up with tears, as Draco walked behind her and took the brush from her hand. She watched in the mirror as he slowly, and carefully, pulled the brush through her long, wet locks. She blinked, causing small tears to fall down her cheeks as she thought about the young girl who had lost her life. Reaching behind her, she stilled his hand, and removed the brush, softly laying it on the counter in front of her. Turning slowly, she looked up at him.

Leaning forward, she kissed his lips. Pulling back, she looked into his questioning gaze, her hands wound in the white shirt he wore. Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes, and kissed him more urgently this time, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing her body against his. She felt his hands grip her hips, holding them away from his, and nipped his lip. When he gasped, she slipped her tongue in his mouth, causing him to groan deeply. He tilted his head away abruptly, breaking the kiss, but stayed in their embrace.

“Kiss me.” She said, trying to pull him back down to her lips.

He looked down into her stormy gaze, and wanted nothing more then to give her what she was after. “I can’t.” He replied, his voice raspy with need.

She stepped back and regarded him for almost a full minute. Without breaking eye-contact, her hand came up and loosened the fold that held the towel around her body. His gaze wavered as the towel fell to the floor, leaving her naked in front of him. He tried to keep his eyes on hers, but found himself drinking in the vision in front of him. His eyes ran over her body, then snapped back to her face.

“What are you doing?” He asked, taking in deep breaths and catching himself looking at her posterior in the mirror.

Taking a step forward, Hermione leaned forward and caught his lips again in a kiss. He kissed her back tentatively, his hands cupping her face, before he leaned back and looked into her eyes.

“Hermione… if you don’t stop… I’m not a saint damn it.”

She gave him a sad smile. “I know. I don’t want to stop. I want to forget. I want to get the images out of my head.” She said, pressing her naked body flush against his. She gently ground her hips into his arousal and breathed a kiss on the side of his neck. “Don’t make me beg.” She whispered against the sensitive skin.

Draco shuddered, his hands running down the curves on her sides. He clenched his jaw. He knew that she was only doing this out of grief. That he shouldn’t be taking advantage of her. He knew that he should throw her over his shoulder and lock her in her room for the rest of the night. His conscience screamed at him as he bent down and kissed her earlobe.

“Alright.”

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A/N: Okay, yes, I am evil. :-) But this was a really good place to stop for me, so the next chapter flows better. And I like to keep the suspense.. muahaahaa. (that was my evil laughter.)

Anyway, thanks to all those that reviewed last time. I am going to keep Neville's bf's name the way it is! I really enjoyed reading everyone's opinion on it.

kazfeist: Thanks for all the reviews! :D And hopefully you won't be disappointed with Draco doing the 'not so honorable' thing next chapter. lol.

Jessie: Hm.. did the student get revenge? We'll see soon... ;)

naley: Don't worry, I won't leave it like this either. Thanks for the review!

ilke: So when I read your name I think of it like 'ill ka', like elke, with an 'i' instead. Is that about right? Just curious. You got me on this subject from your story! Anyway, thanks for the review like always!

Anathema: Yup, pure evil. Can't help it. :D So is all forgiven? Or was this worse? lol.

Gertie: lol, well apparently in my mind they were fated together. I really didn't intend naming his lover after his frog, but it happened. And it's not gushy, I like it!