Hermione carefully opened the box that had arrived from Harry. "At least he hasn't forgot us," she stated mournfully, still feeling a bit bitter.
The day after they had arrived at the Weasley home, they had overheard the adults discussing Harry. He had given everyone the slip and boarded the Hogwarts Express. The Order had spies everywhere and he had been quickly located at the Leaky Cauldron. Everyone was eager to return him to safety, but Dumbledore had interceded. He had asked the Order to stand down and post a guard on Harry instead. There had been quite the uproar and a lot of angry whispers about not wanting a repeat of last summer. Ron and Hermione had been unable to get any details about Harry's summer break, but it was clear something bad had happened. Even Harry refused to talk about it, his eyes going cold every time they brought it up.
Ron was sulking on his bed, his present from Harry tossed angrily to the side.
"Come on Ron. Don't be like that," she scolded, strolling across the room to sit next to him.
"Why Malfoy?" he grumbled, crossing his arms over his knees.
It hadn't taken very long before rumors about the two boys spending their Holiday together had reached The Burrow. Initially, they hadn't put much stock in those rumors as they had been hearing similar all school year. It had felt like a betrayal when those claims had been verified during a heated argument between Professor Snape and Mr. Weasley. It had been a silly argument really, as they both wanted the same thing – the two of them separated. Ron hadn't taken the news well.
"You know how Harry is," she consoled, only half believing it herself as she lay her head on Ron's shoulder. "Takes in strays all the time."
"But why Malfoy?" he repeated.
Hermione shrugged against him, wondering the same thing herself.
She had sort of understood why he ran away from them. That's not to say it didn't hurt, but she understood it. In true Harry fashion, he had been shutting them out for a while now, preferring to solve things on his own. Maybe he felt they were safer that way? Had she been in his shoes, she couldn't say that she wouldn't have done the same. That still didn't mean that it was the right answer. He had too much on his plate for one person to handle all on their own. He might not agree with it, but he needed his friends more than ever.
"Harry's next procedure is in two days," she reminded, shifting so that she could get a better look at Ron's face. "Let's just try to act normal and maybe he'll open up about everything. We're his best friends, we need to be supportive."
"Even when he's being a giant ass?" Ron grumbled.
"Yes, Ron," she admonished. "Even when he's being a giant ass."
"And look," she stated, showing off the butterfly pendant that Harry had sent her. "Does this look like the kind of gift you would buy someone that you wanted to be rid of?"
She smiled warmly at the pendant before putting it on.
Ron didn't say anything, eyes burning holes in the opposite wall.
<<<<< >>>>>
Harry was walking down a dark hall – it was horrifyingly familiar. Fog began creeping up from out of nowhere, twirling about in billows as he walked through it. He continued despite knowing what he would find at the end of the hall. His mind was screaming for him to turn back, but his feet weren't responding, nothing was responding. He'd been having dreams like this since the summer, but they were evolving, becoming darker and more violent. His subconscious was constantly finding new ways to torment him.
Sirius was curled up at the end of the hall, his knees pulled to his chest. He had the same look about him as he had soon after escaping from Azkaban – haunted eyes angry and accusing.
Slowly, the man's eyes met Harry's. The lights flickered overhead. With an animal growl, Sirius was up in an instant, his hands firmly clasped around Harry's neck.
"This is all your fault," he snarled. "You're a curse Harry. Everyone who cares about you will suffer and die."
"Go ahead and kill me," Harry croaked out brokenly. He was tired of fighting this fight. It never changed anything. He had begged, cried, argued, fought back – it was all to no avail.
"Oh, I will," Sirius promised. "And I'll save everyone from you."
Sirius tightened his hold, fully closing off air from entering his lungs. His eyes began glistening with unshed tears. On instinct he struggled to breath, but he couldn't – not against the crushing force on his throat. His mouth watered in vain. It seemed as if an eternity had passed before darkness crept across his line of sight.
He shot up from bed, gasping for air, startling Draco into consciousness.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Potter?" he snarled, instinctively being mean at the rather rude awakening. With great effort, he appeared to shove his inner asshole down and put on a mask of concern.
Harry struggled to catch his breath and collect his scattered thoughts. The longer he was awake the more his memories of the dream faded, leaving only a vague feeling of helplessness.
"Are you okay?" Draco inquired after a time.
"I'm fine," he mumbled. "Just a bad dream – I get them sometimes."
"More like all the time, want to talk about it?" Draco offered.
Harry shook his head. "Not particularly."
Draco studied the boy for a long while before lying back down to go to sleep.
Harry got up and crossed the room to tackle some of his school work. Stay busy, stay distracted - that was his mantra.
<<<<< >>>>>
"You know," Draco mentioned offhandedly. "I can brew you up something for those bad dreams."
Draco was getting fed up with being constantly awoken in the middle of the night, oftentimes because he was being attacked. In desperation, he had gone over his notes on Dreamless Sleep Potion and felt certain that he had enough talent to pull it off without killing the boy. One mistake when brewing it could mean the difference between Dreamless Sleep and Endless Sleep. On the other hand, one more night of being accosted and he thought he might just do the boy in himself. He needed his beauty sleep.
Dreamless Sleep didn't come without its risks though. It was a highly addictive potion that built up to toxic levels with extended use and there was always a chance for accidental overdose. Harry wouldn't be able to use it all the time but getting some restful sleep every now and then would serve him well. They would just have to be careful.
"Sounds good," Harry accepted the offer with an appreciative smile.
Draco was excited at the prospect of sleeping through the night. He just had to find all the ingredients without raising suspicion – it was a restricted potion after all.
"Just give me a couple of hours," Draco replied, crossing to the door quickly with a smile on his face. "I'll be back soon."
<<<<< >>>>>
Ron and Hermione were seated on a bench, awaiting the news of Harry's procedure. To their surprise, Malfoy was there as well, pacing back and forth down the hall, occasionally eyeing them with a feral look. No one said a word.
When it seemed like Malfoy would wear a track into floor, he finally collapsed onto the bench across from them. Ron glared at the blond. Malfoy ignored him. Hermione was confused by the whole thing.
"So, you and Harry are..." Hermione began, probing the boy for answers.
Malfoy looked alarmed. "No," he exclaimed, face flushing pink. "It's not like that."
Hermione snickered at his reaction. She too had heard the more absurd rumors. "Friends – I was going to say friends."
"Oh," he replied blushing furiously.
Ron continued to glare at the boy. Hermione had given up on trying to convince her boyfriend to reserve judgement until they had all the facts. He remained certain that this was all part of some elaborate plot against Harry. She didn't bother trying to point out the fact that Malfoy could have let Harry drown and then played dumb about it. When Ron was in one of his moods, facts just didn't seem all that important.
"I'm keeping an eye on you," Ron warned. "Harry tries to see the best in people, but I'm not so naïve."
Draco turned calculating eyes on her boyfriend. "You do what you have to," he replied dismissively. "At the end of the day, he spent Christmas with me and not you."
Without warning, Ron launched himself across the room, his fist colliding with Malfoy's face. Malfoy simply wiped the blood off his face without complaint. Hermione was incredibly flustered by the whole situation – both Ron's anger and Malfoy's indifference.
"Feel better?" Malfoy inquired, his smug expression never faltering.
Ron couldn't help himself, he punched the boy again before Hermione could stop him. Malfoy's eye was rapidly swelling shut yet he had made no move to defend himself or retaliate. It seemed like he was antagonizing Ron on purpose, but she couldn't figure out what his intentions were.
Hermione took hold of her boyfriend's arm, pulling him back. "Knock it off, Ron. We don't know the whole story. I'm sure Harry has a good explanation."
Instead of the grateful look she was expecting, Malfoy sneered at her. She narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion.
"Did you like your present, Granger?" he asked, pulling out a dragon pendant to show her. "I certainly liked mine."
Hermione bristled at the implication and let out an angry huff. With great difficulty she managed to suppress her murderous inclinations. She was not going to punch the boy in the face like a brute. For whatever reason, he was intentionally trying to get a rise out of them and she refused to play his game.
"Yes, I did," she snarled back. "Harry has always given me very thoughtful presents."
The implications of her statement were clear – she had been Harry's friend for much longer than him.
Draco snorted in response.
Her face flushed in anger. It took everything she had to walk away from the boy, dragging Ron with her. They sat down once more in silence, glaring at one another.
After a time, one of the healers left Harry's room. She eyed Malfoy's injuries suspiciously, excluding him from the conversation as they spoke in hushed tones.
"He's doing great. We addressed all the remaining issues. We'll keep him here for a couple of days until he recovers. This procedure really took a lot out of him, but he's awake now and ready to see you."
Malfoy appeared to have heard what he wanted to hear. He stood up and left the building without a word.
Ron and Hermione exchanged quizzical glances before following the healer into Harry's room. With great effort, Hermione plastered a pleasant smile on her face deciding she could roast Harry alive after he was feeling better.
Harry wasn't buying it, he could see the tension in her posture.
"Sorry about lying to you," he stated simply.
"We'll talk about it later," Hermione replied through gritted teeth.
Ron hung back near the door with a sullen expression. He was never good at hiding his emotions.
"How are you feeling?" she inquired, trying to steer the conversation in the right direction.
Harry gave her a tired look that said it all. "Been better."
He glanced at the door as if expecting someone. Ron gave him a pained look. They both knew who it was he was looking for.
"He was here," Hermione begrudgingly supplied. "He left after hearing you were okay."
Harry at least had the decency to look sheepish.
"It's really complicated," he explained.
"Not that complicated," Ron shot back, losing his temper. "You're falling right into Voldemort's trap – like you always do."
Harry flinched at his words. It was a low blow. Neither boy could even look at one another. The air was thick with emotion. Hermione was at a loss for how to make things right.
The healer that had brought them in cleared her throat, breaking up the silence.
"I'm sorry to do this to you, but Mr. Potter needs his rest now. You can come back during visiting hours tomorrow," she informed.
Ron turned and stormed out without saying goodbye. Hermione shot Harry an apologetic look before chasing after her boyfriend.
Harry studied the door for a long time, expression forlorn.
"Well, that was intense," the healer stated.
"That was only the beginning," Harry replied wearily. "Things are not going to go well tomorrow."
"Guess you should rest up," she recommended.
Harry settled down on the bed with a nod. He was feeling quite exhausted and emotionally raw.
The next day, everyone pretended like nothing had happened. Harry was sure it was Hermione's doing and he was grateful to her.