Awaken

Hermione was falling asleep when she heard someone knock on the door. She pulled the blanket off herself and set her cup of tea down. She must not have been moving very quickly because the person knocked again, even harder this time. She moved to the door quicker and looked through the peephole. She groaned to herself. It was Ron. She really didn't want to deal with him right now, but she put on a small smile and opened the door. She was careful though, by the way, he knocked she knew he might be angry, and she only opened the door partway. She stood behind it, too, and just looked around the corner at him.

"Is there something you needed, Ron?" She asked him politely. He didn't answer her but instead pushed the door open, leaving Hermione against the wall with the door handle in her side. She winced in pain and pushed the door back closed. 

"What the hell were you thinking?" Ron was not yelling yet, but Hermione kept her distance. She didn't want to get into a screaming match right now. She wanted to go to the hospital wing for her stomach. 

"What do you mean, Ron?" 

"You were smiling at the ferret like he isn't some Death Eater piece of scum, and you left early. To do what?" Ron was getting closer, and Hermione reached down. She left her wand on the table near the couch. 

"We left early, Ron, because Malfoy was having flashbacks, and I didn't want anything to happen. That is all. He is sleeping in the bed. Alone." She added for good measure. 

"Really, I am supposed to believe that?"

"Why do you care anyway. You have your own partner. We weren't even together when they made this law." She didn't know what would make him calm down, and she was starting to worry by the look in his eye.

"How could you be okay with this 'Mione, he hurt you." The way he said it made her skin crawl. He never actually hurt her physically, mentally, yes, but he never touched her. 

"Ron, I have chosen forgiveness." She said as bravely as she could.

"How is that working out for you?" Again the tone of his voice made her anxious about what was going to happen. Ron was never this bad, and she didn't know what to do in this situation.

"Ron, are you okay?" 

"I am fine; my girlfriend broke up with me. The ministry made a new dumb law that will make me get married and be a father with a girl that doesn't even like me. I am doing fantastic." 

"Ron, everyone is going through the same thing; if we all just talk about it together, it might get better. " She was trying to inch her way over to the door. She knew that she would be able to get it open and get out before he could get her. She knew she could shut it before he could get to her. She just needed to get into someone else's apartment and didn't know how she would do that. Also, what about Malfoy. 

"Where do you think you are going?" Ron hissed at her. 

"Ron, what do you want. I need Madam Pomfrey."

"I want you to come back to me. They will change the rules for us. Malfoy doesn't matter anyway."

"Ron, I do not want to be with you. Please." Hermione didn't know what she should say, but she knew that was the wrong thing to do as soon as she said it. 

"So you are telling me that you would rather be with that murderous snake than me?"

"Ron. Please." He was close now, close enough to hurt her. "This isn't you." 

"It is Hermione. It is." He kept getting closer and closer.

"If you get any closer to her, Ron, I am not responsible for what I might do." Draco's voice was deep and commanding. Hermione looked up instantly, and for a second, felt okay. But then she saw the way he was pointing his wand toward Ron, and she knew something terrible might happen.

"Draco, I need to see Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said. She tried to pull his attention off of Ron, she just needed out of there, and Ron needed to see her as well. He was having these episodes more frequently now.

Draco lowered his wand some and started making his way toward Hermione when Ron pulled his wand out and pointed it at him. 

"Ron, she needs to go to the hospital wing; she is your friend. Why are you doing this to her?" Draco normally wasn't reasonable, but he felt like he had to be for her. He didn't understand why yet. All he knew is that he woke up in his bed with a horrible feeling in his stomach. He knew something was wrong.

"Ron, please." Hermione was starting to cry. The pain was terrible, and she knew something bad had happened.

"You are coming with me." Ron looked at Hermione and grabbed her. While he was doing this, her sleeve rolled up some, and Draco could see the word 'Mudblood' etched into her skin. It looked just like it did the day his aunt dug the knife into her arm. Draco was filled with rage. He hated that he just stood there watching Hermione scream. He still heard it in his nightmares sometimes. He wouldn't stand by and watch again. He didn't know how he got to them so fast, but before he knew it, he punched Ron, who was now was lying on the ground. 

Hermione was just standing there, mouth wide open. She went to say something, but Draco picked her up and started walking.

"What did he do to you?" He said suddenly.

"What?"Hermione winced in pain when she talked.

"I mean, why are you in so much pain? What happened?"

"He pushed the door into me, and the doorknob went into my stomach." She said, feeling the pain full force again. She must have been in shock by what Draco did that the pain subsided for a minute. 

"Madam Pomfrey?" Draco yelled as he entered the Hospital Wing with Hermione in his arms. 

"Dears, what happened?" Poppy ran up to them and levitated Hermione onto a bed quickly. 

"Her stomach, Ron pushed the doorknob into it," Draco said flatly. He knew she would cover for him, and before she could, he put the truth out. 

"Hermione, is that true?"

"He just barged in; I don't think he hit me intentionally," Hermione said, looking at Draco angrily. 

"Well, these bruises on your wrist are not from Mister Malfoy carrying you." Madam Pomfrey looked very hard at Hermione. 

"He tried to grab me. It wasn't him, though. You have to understand, Ma'am. Something is wrong with his mind." Hermione started to cry. "The war broke him. More than others, and I was supposed to help him through it, and I couldn't." 

"Now now, dear, that doesn't give him the right to grab you. Now I am going to fix you up good as new, but you are staying put till further notice." With that, she walked over and started fixing something for Hermione to take. She was almost done when Ginny barged in the door, wand fixed at Malfoy.

"I was going to give you a chance, ferret, but no one attacks my brother." Ginny's wand was at Draco's throat. Harry ran in behind her.

"Ginny, please stop." Harry was begging her. "'Mione?" Harry's voice changed immediately to concern. The shift in Harry's voice made Ginny look behind Draco. Her best friend was in a hospital bed, and Draco was looking like he was guarding it.

"Hermione, what happened?" Ginny lowered her wand and rushed to her best friend's side. 

"I think you should ask your brother," Draco said in a monotone voice.