Chapter 5
The next morning, Hermione woke to Draco changing the bandage on her arm. She assumed he applied the numbing agent while she was sleeping because she couldn’t feel the lower part of her arm.
“Good morning,” she said sleepily, followed by a yawn. She didn’t remember falling asleep after dinner, and she didn’t remember waking up during the night, but she felt like she could go right back to sleep.
“How are you feeling?” Draco asked.
“My arm doesn’t hurt, but I’m really tired. Is that normal?” She closed her eyes while she waited for his answer, but the next time she opened them, her arm was bandaged, and Draco was standing in the middle of the cell talking to Blinky.
“Miss Granger,” Blinky said and hurried to the side of the cot. “Blinky is happy to see you awake. Blinky has been worried. Would Miss Granger like soup for dinner again?”
Hermione’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Dinner? I thought it was morning.”
Draco shook his head. “You’ve been asleep all day. How are you feeling?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “Maybe a little bit better.”
“Blinky will bring dinner and a healing potion. Would Miss Granger like a pain relief potion, too?”
“That won’t be necessary. My arm isn’t hurting right now. And I think the pain relief potion might be what made me so sleepy.”
“It could be,” Draco agreed.
Blinky nodded. “Blinky will return.”
“That little elf has been beside herself all day worrying about you,” Draco told her. “She’s come to check on you at least once every hour.”
“She’s very sweet,” Hermione said with a small smile. She carefully got to her feet and pointed to the bathroom door. “Excuse me. I’m going to use the facilities.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You might not be steady on your feet.”
Hermione gave Draco a pointed look. “You are not going into that bathroom with me.”
He raised his hand in surrender. “I was thinking Blinky could escort you when she returns.”
“Oh,” Hermione said. “Well, I supposed that would be okay.”
Hermione waited for the elf to return and help her to the bathroom. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Draco was right—she was unsteady on her feet.
Blinky helped her back to her cot and set up her dinner tray before leaving.
Hermione’s appetite was definitely not affected by her injury. She devoured everything on her tray in a matter of minutes.
“Blinky,” Draco called.
“Sir?” Blinky asked when she appeared seconds later.
“Please bring Miss Granger another serving of soup.”
“Yes, sir.”
Blinky returned with a new tray and a large smile. “Blinky is so happy Miss Granger is awake and eating. Blinky has been worried.”
“I’m sorry for worrying you,” Hermione said kindly. “I’m feeling much better now.”
“What else does Miss Granger need from Blinky?”
Hermione chewed on her bottom lip. She really wanted to take a shower or bath and wash her hair, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask Blinky to help her. She had to let Blinky bring her food and other necessities, but she could wait until she felt better to bathe so Blinky wouldn’t have more work to do. “I think I’m fine for now. Thank you, Blinky.”
Blinky smiled broadly. “It was Blinky’s pleasure.”
“What did you talk yourself out of asking her?” Draco asked once they were alone.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, wondering how he seemed to read her thoughts. “I was trying to decide if I wanted to wash my hair after dinner.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth either.
“And you didn’t want to ask Blinky to do any more work than she has to, right?”
“You know how I feel about house elves,” Hermione replied, avoiding giving him a direct answer.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Granger. I’ll help you wash your hair.”
Hermione laughed derisively. “I don’t think so.”
“You’re going to have to let me help if you want it washed. Blinky isn’t tall enough to help you in the tub, and you can’t get your bandages wet in the shower. We can use the sink in the lab, and you can lie on the counter. And before you argue, the only way Blinky will be able to help you in the lab is if she gets in the sink, and I know you don’t want her to be wet and cold just to help you wash your hair.”
It was all Hermione could do to keep from snarling at him. He was right, and she did not like it one bit. But she didn’t want him to know just how much she didn’t like it. So, she hid her annoyance and agreed to his suggestion. “Fine. It needs to be washed, so you can help.”
Draco blinked in surprise. She knew he expected her to argue, and she was quite pleased with herself for doing the opposite.
After Blinky removed their dinner trays and left them for the night, Draco gestured toward the bathroom and lab. “Shall we?”
“Ready when you are,” Hermione said. She wasn’t sure how she felt about letting Draco help her, especially after all the times he’d teased her about her hair, but she knew how much better she would feel afterward, so she pushed her trepidation to the side and got up to walk to the lab.
Draco was instantly at her side, looping his arm around her uninjured arm. “Let me help you.” She opened her mouth to tell him she was fine when her leg wobbled. It was minimal, but he noticed. “That’s what I thought might happen. You’re weaker than you think.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted.
“You will be, but you’re not yet.”
She huffed but remained silent as he escorted her through the bathroom and into the lab. Before Hermione could protest, he scooped her into his arms and gently placed her on the counter. “I’m going to get some towels and your shampoo and conditioner. Try not to fall off while I’m gone.”
“I’ll do my best,” she replied with a hint of snark. She briefly considered hopping off the counter and lying on the floor just to spite him.
When he returned, he turned on the water and helped her get situated. “Tell me if the water is too hot or too cold.”
“Okay,” she said quietly and closed her eyes.
The water temperature was comfortable as Draco saturated her hair. When he started to work the shampoo into her thick hair, she almost groaned. He was gently massaging her scalp as he worked the shampoo into a lather, and it felt divine. He took his time, making sure to thoroughly clean her scalp and hair before he started rinsing.
Hermione kept her eyes closed and remained quiet, trying to pretend anyone other than Draco Malfoy was washing her hair. The illusion was shattered when he spoke. “Do you let the conditioner sit on your hair for a few minutes or do you rinse it out immediately?”
“I usually let it sit, but it’s fine. You can rinse it out immediately.”
He sighed. “Is this really that awful for you?”
“What?” she asked, trying to feign ignorance.
“You know exactly what. I’m trying to help you, and you’re acting like it’s a special form of torture.”
“You used to tease me about my hair. What in the hell made you think I would want you to touch it?” she snapped, revealing more than she wanted to.
“I did?” he asked, sounding genuinely surprised. “I don’t remember teasing you about your hair. I remember wondering if it was as soft as it looked, and I remember how nice it smelled when we were forced to work together in potions class. So, I probably did tease you about it to make sure no one noticed me admiring it. I was an asshole back then and didn’t know how to deal with my feelings.”
Hermione almost sat up. “Feelings? What feelings?”
“I didn’t have any, remember?”
“Yes, that I do remember,” she said and closed her eyes while he rinsed the conditioner from her hair. When he was finished, he gently wrung the water from her hair and wrapped it in a towel. “How do you know how to do all of this?” she asked while he helped her sit up.
“I’ve helped my mom wash her hair when she’s been sick. She’s always said it makes her feel so much better.”
“I’d have to agree with her on that.”
Draco took Hermione’s hand and helped her off the counter. After they entered the bathroom, she came to a stop. “I need a few minutes in here to change and brush my teeth. I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I’m feeling much better.”
He nodded. “If you’re not out in a few minutes, I’m coming to check on you.”
“Okay,” she agreed. Once he was gone, she quickly undressed and rinsed off in the shower, carefully keeping her injured arm out of the water. It didn’t take her long to wash her face and her body. She was dressed in her pajamas and had just finished brushing her teeth when Draco knocked on the door. “Almost done,” she called out. She wasn’t surprised to find him hovering by the bathroom door when she finally emerged.
“I need to change your bandage before bed.”
“Okay. I’m ready when you are,” she said and took a seat on her cot.
“I’d like to shower first. Do you think you’ll still be awake when I’m finished?”
“As long as you don’t take hour-long showers, I should be.”
While Draco showered, Hermione thought about their situation. At first, she thought it was odd that she hadn’t seen anyone other than Draco and Blinky, but it made sense if her captors truly wanted to hide their identity. And it gave her hope. They were more likely to let her go if she couldn’t identify who took her. She quickly reminded herself that it didn’t matter if she knew who took her or not. She planned to collect the ingredients for Gingerbread juice and escape long before they figured out a curative potion for magicalysis. That thought brought her to a new conclusion. She needed to make suggestions and try mixtures she knew wouldn’t work to buy her time to collect her ingredients. A successful potion for magicalysis didn’t guarantee her freedom, but Gingerbread juice did.
She closed her eyes as she thought about the details of her plan. Before long, she was sound asleep. She didn’t wake when Draco gently cleaned her wound and wrapped her arm in a fresh bandage. Hours later, when Draco couldn’t take the sounds of her shivering and teeth chattering any longer, he climbed into her cot with her and surrounded her with his warmth, and she still didn’t wake.