I Learned Your Pulse

"He's alright."

Draco held out the hand not occupied.

Harry shook it wordlessly.

They moved at the same time, walking in companionable silence to the hospital wing, saying not a word, each wrapped in their own thoughts; until they entered and saw the room in a state of chaos.

"What's going on?" Harry bellowed, and everyone froze but Madame Pomfrey, who was frantically searching Hermione's wrist for a pulse.

"Heart stopped beating," said Pomfrey, "The rate was too slow, just stopped all together."

Draco, without another thought, lunged forward, popped the cork out of the vial, tilted her head back, opened her mouth, and poured the liquid in, closing her mouth and pressing her nose down on it so she had to swallow, the whole time his skin alvie with the electricity from hers.

The room had obviously given up. Mr. Granger, holding his wife, was staring at his daughter as if watching an adorable beloved puppy being boiled to death, and Mrs. Granger was being hugged simultaneously by her husband, Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley, looking as if everyhting in her head had gone compeltely blank. For that one frozen second, George had tears welling in his eyes, Ron was still in his attempt to sit down, and Harry was clutching his forehead, biting his lip in an effort not to scream. Madame Pomfrey and Mcgonagall, however, had already lost hope, for they both sat down on beds and sat very still, waiting for the moment to be over so they could cry, too.

And then Hermione coughed.

Draco drew his hand back immediately to let her breathe, and everyone around the room gave cries full of such relief and joy that he felt he was at the birth of a child; however, he felt detatched, as if he knew neither the parents or the child in question, but was there simply to bring about another baby into the world, to bring a life to life - he was the doctor.

Hermione already had color flooding back in her cheeks, already looked strong enough to sit up, but stayed down, wary of what would happen if she didn't. She looked at Draco first, and said, loud and clear, "That's three time, unless I'm mistaken."

He was confused, until he figured out she was talking about the times he had saved her life, and then he was more confused. He shook his head. "Twice," he corrected.

She smiled sadly. "Believing your own lies, Draco. That doesn't ever end well."

He was more confused than ever, and then met her eyes.

Out of his wand burst forth a majestic silver peacock, walking gracefully through the air toward the creature, assured, proud and confident; the lethifold, upon being touched by the animal who was waltzing through the air like a professional dancer, turned into puce green mist and fled out the window, breaking the glass as it disappeared into the night.

But that had only happened because...

For one split second, the only things that existed were she and he; there was no lethifold, no imminent threat of death, no darkness, no light, no snow, no fear - just them, their lips moving in synchronization as she furrowed her brow in concentration, trying her hardest to fill him with the happiness that seemed to evade him. She threw her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist, their body heat mingling, their hearts racing each other but exactly in time with the other.

He looked and saw her eyes were reflecting the same memory; and, for a fraction of a tenth of a second, he was seized with the desire to kiss her again.

She looked away and at Harry. "When's the next task?" she asked, her full color seeming to be back, seeming to have all of her strength, but the wound on her neck not healing, just sitting there as it had for the past month and a half.