Title: Healing Hermione

Author: Kassandra

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Not mine. Hermione's dream/memory is almost taken word for word from OotP.

Pairings: Blaise/Hermione and Harry/Draco (I'm going for it!)

Chapter 4

Hermione, Harry, and Neville burst into a small, dark, cluttered office and slammed the door behind them.

"Collo-" Hermione began, but before she could complete the spell the door had burst open again and two Death Eaters came hurtling inside. With a cry of triumph the both yelled, "IMPEDIMENTA!"

She, Harry, and Neville were all knocked backward off their feet.

Hermione smashed into a bookcase and was promptly deluged in a cascade of heavy books.

"WE'VE GOT HIM!" she heard the Death Eater nearest Harry yell, "IN AN OFFICE OFF-"

"Silencio!" she cried, and the man's voice was extinguished.

Hermione painfully got to her feet. She felt a sharp pain in her lungs when she breathed a little too deeply, but other than that and a few bruises, she was okay.

She turned and watched Harry execute a perfect 'petrificus' spell on one of the Death Eaters.

"Well done, Ha-"

But the Death Eater she had just struck dumb made a sudden slashing movement with his wand from which flew a streak of what looked like purple flame. It passed right across her chest. She had a moment to let out a surprised "oh!" before the darkness claimed her, and she knew no more.

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Hermione awoke gasping and sweaty.

She hadn't had that dream in quite a while. She closed her eyes, and forced herself to take deep, even breaths. Willing the panic away. After a few minutes, though it had seemed like hours to her, she finally got her breathing under control.

She slowly sat up, and looked around for Blaise, a little disappointed that he hadn't come running to help her when she awoke.

She found him standing behind Poppy's desk with two other wizards.

Blaise, Dumbledore, and Snape were having a very heated conversation.

"This is beyond my capability to treat! She needs professional medical attention," Blaise was saying.

"We'll owl Poppy..." Dumbledore began.

Blaise threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Poppy won't know how to deal with this any better than I do. She needs to be admitted to St. Mungos. If we make a mistake on medicating her, she could die."

"If she's admitted to St. Mungos she will die, Mr. Zabini. There are no less than seven Death Eaters stationed there looking for her," Snape hissed.

"Why?"

"Dolohov's curse should have killed her. The only reason it didn't was because he couldn't say it out loud. The Death Eaters found out she'd been relapsing all year. Her condition is unusual. She appears completely cured, and a few weeks later she's right back to where she started. They knew it was only a matter of time before she'd end up in the hospital," Snape explained.

"It was actually fortunate that Miss Granger was taken to a muggle hospital. If her parents had got her to St. Mungo's, she'd be dead," Dumbledore added.

Blaise seemed to deflate a little.

"I know what's wrong with her."

Dumbledore and Snape stared at him intently.

"Every time she relapses, her main symptom is difficulty in breathing. We've been treating her lungs," he gestured toward the bronchial potions that Snape had brought with him.

"I believe it's her heart that's the root of the problem."

"But Poppy checked her heart..." Snape began.

"Madam Pomfrey is an excellent nurse, and can cure illnesses, mend bones, and reverse curses better than anyone I've ever known. But her knowledge is seriously lacking in cardiomagic. She was actually going to have me spend a week with a cardiomagician sometime this summer, just because she is so reluctant to deal with it herself," Blaise explained.

They were silent.

"Am I going to die?" Hermione's voice, though weak, carried across the room.

Blaise cursed and hurried over to her side.

"You're eavesdropping," he chided gently.

She was soaking with perspiration. He summoned a cool compress and pressed it to her forehead.

"Did you break a fever?" Blaise asked.

"No, I had a nightmare."

He stiffened.

"Did you have trouble breathing when you woke up?"

She nodded, and felt the tears begin to fall. She was so scared.

"Hermione, look at me," he commanded gently.

One of his hands took hold of hers while the other brushed away her tears.

"I will not let you die. We're going to beat this thing, whatever it takes."

She squeezed his hand and nodded. He was pleased to see a little of the fear receding.

He had her take a couple of potions, among them some Dreamless Sleep so she wouldn't have to worry about nightmares, and soon she was sleeping peacefully.

Blaise walked back over to the professors.

"Okay, I'll owl Poppy with my findings, and see what she suggests. Maybe we can get the cardiomagician to come here," Blaise informed them.

Snape opened his mouth to protest.

"It's our only option, Professor. We can ask him to come and speak to me about cardiomagic, and have him look Hermione over while he's here. We can oblivate him afterward, if he won't agree to keep quiet about her. And even if he does say something, you can't tell me the Death Eaters don't already know that she's here anyway."

Snape shook his head, and looked away. Dumbledore sighed and finally nodded his assent.

"If that's what you feel is best, Mr. Zabini, then that's what we'll do."

Blaise looked at him, sharply.

"This doesn't mean I'm joining your side," he said, coldly.

Dumbledore looked at him with those infuriating, twinkling eyes.

"Are you certain about that?" he said, and then disappeared out the door.

Professor Snape began to follow him.

"Professor, wait."

Snape turned.

Blaise ran over to the desk, and began searching through piles of parchment.

He finally found what he was looking for, and handed it to Snape.

"It's a simple heart-strengthening potion. I'd like to get her started on it soon, it should make her feel a lot better. It won't heal her, but it will definitely give us more time."

Snape took the parchment, and studied it.

"I'll bring it by after breakfast."

And then he was gone.

Blaise turned to look at Hermione, still sleeping peacefully.

He walked over to her bed, and transfigured one of the chairs into a cot. He curled up on it, determined to get a few hours of sleep. Hermione should be fine without the threat of nightmares. Still, he wasn't about to leave her alone in the infirmary.

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Draco settled into his new room at Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

Apparently this was headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Draco was to be inducted into this Order next month.

It took an awful lot not to whine about how dismal and rundown the place was. Draco had been used to having the finest of everything, his whole life. He had no money now, and was completely dependent on Dumbledore. And Harry Potter.

He looked down at the borrowed robes he was wearing in distaste. They were Blaise's robes. Too long, and too tight. He still had one year left at Hogwarts, how was he going to afford it? It's not like he could get a job, or anything. He was in hiding.

Draco had been hiding in his room since Harry had shown him to it. The other boy had disappeared, saying he'd be downstairs.

When his stomach started rumbling, Draco decided to seek him out. What would they eat? There were no house elves to cook.

A delicious smell hit him as he descended the stairs and he followed his nose to the kitchen.

He was shocked to see Harry slaving over a hot stove.

"Are you, cooking?"

Harry gave him a look.

Draco scowled.

"I didn't know you could cook," he said, sullenly crossing his arms.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Malfoy."

"Draco," he automatically corrected.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not really a Malfoy, anymore. I've been disowned, remember. I'm just Draco."

Harry nodded and went back to stirring the pasta.

There was an awkward silence.

"I learned to cook when I was eight. My aunt and uncle decided I was old enough to earn my keep. So I had to learn how to do all kinds of chores, including cooking. I have to admit it's a lot easier when you can use magic."

"So you're seventeen now then?"

"No, not for another month. But it's all right for us to use magic here in the house. It's blocked so that the Ministry can't track it."

"How did you come to own this house?"

Harry's eyes clouded over with sadness.

"Not now, Mal- Draco. I'll tell you some other time."

Normally, Draco would have pressed the issue, but Harry looked so haunted and miserable that he decided to let it go.

As they sat down to eat, Draco fidgeted, tugging at the robe stretched tight across his chest.

"You swipe one of Zabini's robes?"

"No! He gave- How did you know this was his?"

Harry ignored the question.

"I thought we could go shopping tomorrow. I know Diagon Alley is off limits to us, but Dumbledore said we could go into muggle London if we keep a low profile."

Draco grimaced at the word, 'muggle'.

Harry felt a flash of anger.

"You know, if it wasn't for people like you and your bigoted-" he began, hotly.

Draco jumped to his feet and interrupted him.

"For Merlin's sake, Potter! Cut me some slack! I'm trying to adjust here, and it's not easy. If you want me to act like a muggle, and wear muggle clothes, then fine I'll do it. It's not like I have a choice anymore."

They ate in silence after that; each lost in their own miserable thoughts. Draco surprised Harry by casting the clean up spells when they were done.

Draco crawled in bed a little while later, but couldn't sleep. He wasn't tired, and his mind was swarming with questions.

What would happen to him? What should he do? Could he and Harry ever really be friends?

His thoughts were interrupted by the most unusual sounds coming from a room down the hall from his.

Knowing he wouldn't be falling asleep any time soon, Draco got out of bed and followed the odd sounds.

There was a strange glow coming from beneath a door. Had he been in his own house, he'd have quickly turned back around and returned to his room. With Lucius Malfoy as a father, you did not open doors with strange glows coming out. But this was Harry Potter's house. And even though he and the Gryffindor weren't quite what you'd call friends just yet, Draco was confident that Harry would have warned him of any danger the house might contain. Curiosity got the best of him, and he quietly pushed the door open.

Harry was sitting in the floor in front of a box that had moving pictures on it. He seemed to be controlling the pictures with some odd device in his hand.

When he walked through the door, Draco couldn't help but gasp at the odd sensation that seemed to slide down his body. It was almost like walking under running water, only it wasn't wet.

Harry turned at Draco's gasp and jumped to his feet.

"Wait! Do you have your wand on you?" he demanded.

Draco shook his head.

Harry sighed in relief.

"Sorry, I should have warned you. I would have showed you this room after dinner but you went straight to bed."

Draco was still staring at him in disbelief.

"Okay, well this is what we call the 'muggle technology' room."

The blond looked around with a disdainful expression, but Harry could see the curiosity in his eyes.

"Hermione, Fred, George, and Arthur made it last summer. There's not a drop of magic in the whole room. It's battery operated."

Draco just blinked at him. He had no idea what 'battery operated' meant.

Harry chuckled at his confused expression.

"It's okay, Draco, Ron doesn't really understand it either, but it doesn't stop him from enjoying it."

He pointed to the doorway.

"That was Hermione's doing. When you walk through the doorway, it sort of 'washes' any lingering magic off of you. Muggle technology tends to go haywire when magic gets close to it. It's a very strong charm, and if you'd had your wand on you it would probably be useless now."

"You mean I could have destroyed my wand?" Draco demanded.

Harry grinned sheepishly.

"I thought you were in bed for the night."

"Oh, you think about me in bed a lot, do you Potter?" he teased, walking over to study the glowing box.

"NO! I-" Harry began, red faced.

"I was teasing, Potter. Don't get your knickers in a twist."

Harry spent the next few minutes explaining how the X-Box worked. Draco was a fast learner, and the hours flew by as they played.

At about three in the morning, they decided to call it quits.

"I think I'll wait 'till tomorrow to kick your arse, Potter," Draco said, stretching.

"Harry." Harry corrected, holding out a hand.

Draco stared at him for a minute, and then shook his hand.

"Good night, Harry."

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When Blaise awoke the next morning, Hermione wasn't in her bed.

He quickly got to his feet, and began looking around wildly.

The bathroom door opened, and she slowly walked out.

She giggled when she saw him.

"Your hair sticks up worse than Harry's."

He absentmindedly smoothed it down as he marched over to her.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded angrily.

"I had to use the restroom," she said, defensively.

He gestured to the cot.

"I was right there, why didn't you wake me up? What if something bad had happened?"

He had taken hold of her arms now as if he was going to shake her.

"I felt like I was up to it. Besides, I tried to wake you up, but you were sleeping so deeply, and I really had to go," her eyes were now glistening with unshed tears.

He pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her. At first she tensed, but then relaxed into his embrace.

"When I woke up, and you weren't there, I was so scared," he whispered into her hair.

"I was afraid that they'd taken you."

Hermione slid her hands up his back, and began rubbing it in a comforting manner.

"Hogwarts is safe, Blaise. They can't get to us here," she murmured.

He pulled back a little, and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Her eyes were huge as she stared up at him in wonder.

Blaise couldn't take his eyes off of her lips, and slowly started to lower his head. They were separated by mere centimeters when the sound of Snape clearing his throat had them jumping apart.

"I have the potion you requested," Snape smirked holding up a bottle.

Blaise's heart was racing. He looked at Hermione and was relieved to see that she didn't have any breathing problems, however she had turned a very fetching shade of pink.

He gave her a reassuring smile then walked her over to the desk to sit down.

"Miss Granger, you seem to be feeling better," Snape commented.

"Yes sir," she said, meekly.

"Let me know if you require anything else, Mr. Zabini," Snape said, and left.

Blaise handed her the new potion.

She pulled the stopper, and sniffed it. Blaise laughed when she made a face.

"It's for your heart, Hermione."

She looked up at him intently.

"You really think it's my heart that's giving me so much trouble?"

"Yes. I'm working on getting a specialist here, but you're in no danger right now. That potion will make you feel back to normal again, but Hermione, you won't be. And you mustn't push yourself."

She nodded and, holding her nose, downed the potion in one gulp.

"Ugh! That was worse than Polyjuice," she commented, then froze.

She looked at him sheepishly.

He laughed again.

"It was all in your file, Hermione. I can't believe you made Polyjuice potion in second year."

She shrugged, and then sighed heavily.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I'm just... I'm tired of being indoors. I mean, it's summer, and I want to enjoy the nice weather."

When Blaise opened his mouth he had intended to say, 'no', but instead said, "How about a picnic by the lake for lunch."

She beamed at him, and he could feel the heat in his cheeks.

The morning passed without incident. They had breakfast, and then she had a bath and dressed herself without his assistance.

She was wearing a pretty, yellow sundress with white sandals.

After struggling with her hair for a while, she was surprised when Blaise came over and took the brush from her hands.

"I have three sisters," he said and began French braiding her hair.

He met her eyes in the bathroom mirror.

"No one can know that I know how to do this," he said, tugging gently on her braid.

"Your secret is safe with me," she said, giggling.

Hermione sighed with pleasure as they carefully made their way down to the lake. The sunshine felt great on her skin. Her arm was tucked under Blaise's, and he carried a picnic basket in his other hand.

They spread a blanket out under the shade of a tree, and settled down to eat. Dobby had packed them an assortment of sandwiches and fruit.

They chatted idly while watching the giant squid, which had come close to the surface of the lake seeking the sun's warmth.

Blaise found himself telling her about his mom and sisters. He really missed them, and hoped that they were doing okay. She listened, sympathetically, and laughed at some of the antics that he related.

"I'm an only child, but I've always wanted brothers and sisters," she commented, biting into a peach.

He went on to tell her about how healing Ron back in fifth year had given him the desire to be a healer. He explained his family's situation, and why he couldn't choose sides just yet. And his plan to become a rich healer and take care of his family.

"They're very lucky to have you."

Blaise was surprised he had revealed so much to her, but he hadn't been able to stop. He wanted Hermione to know him. He wanted her to understand why he did the things he did. And most of all, he never wanted to see her look at him in fear again.

"What?" she asked, and he realized he was staring at her.

"You're very beautiful," he said.

She blushed and looked away.

"No, I mean it," he said, gently grabbing her chin, and turning her face back toward him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

There was no one to interrupt this time. Blaise hesitantly leaned forward to kiss her. He'd intended to give her a swift peck, but she slipped a hand behind his head, and held him to her.

His tongue played along her lips and she opened her mouth for him. She tasted like peaches.

His hand left her chin to trail down the long, white column of her neck.

Blaise broke the kiss and placed his hand over her heart.

She stared down at his hand resting on her chest, and began to cry again.

He pulled her into his arms, and rocked her back and forth as she sobbed.

TBC...

Thanks so much for the reviews! You guys are great! I'd answer them personally, but I'm at work and don't have access to them right now. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, the next one will be coming out this weekend sometime.

-Kassandra