The call
(Draco’s POV)
I was sitting at my desk, the quiet buzz of the office barely noticeable in the background. The stacks of paperwork that seemed to multiply faster than I could get through them were never-ending. But today, my mind wasn’t on the contracts in front of me.
Hermione had been on my mind since the day I saw her. I couldn’t shake the way her eyes had looked when I left her house. Something was wrong. She didn’t look like the woman I knew from years ago—confident, fierce, and always holding her ground.
That Hermione was missing.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sharp buzz of my Floo network. I glanced at the fire grate as a green flame flared to life, and Theo Nott’s face appeared, looking a bit frantic.
“Draco,” he said, his voice low, almost urgent. “I need to talk to you. It’s about Hermione.”
My stomach twisted immediately, that all-too-familiar feeling of dread creeping in. “What’s happened?” I snapped, pushing the paperwork aside, all my attention focused now on him.
“She’s not doing well,” Theo said quickly, glancing around as if making sure no one could overhear him. “I saw her, Draco. She was trying to get a room at the Leaky Cauldron. She’s… she’s not in a good place. I think she’s hurt.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Hurt. I felt my breath catch, a cold, gnawing panic clawing at my chest.
“What do you mean she’s hurt?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I was on the edge of losing it. The image of Hermione—broken and in pain—poured into my mind like a flood. She was strong, yes, but even the strongest person had their limits. Had Ron pushed her too far?
“I don’t know everything,” Theo continued, his voice steady but his eyes flashing with concern. “But she was covered in bruises, Draco. I don’t know if she’s been keeping it to herself, but it’s clear she’s been hurt. She’s bleeding, and she’s barely holding it together. I don’t think she knows where to go.”
The flood of emotions was too much. I felt the rage building inside me—rage at Ron, at the situation, at myself for not noticing sooner. Why hadn’t I seen it?
But Theo cut through my spiraling thoughts. “Draco,” he said, his voice firm, “you need to calm down. Don’t rush in there like you’re ready to burn the place down. She needs you to be calm when you see her. If you walk in there all furious, it’ll make things worse.”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, as I fought to control the fire of anger threatening to consume me.
“Where is she now?” I asked, my voice now cold, controlled, like an iceberg trying to keep the madness beneath the surface.
“She’s at my flat,” Theo answered. “I brought her there. She was in no shape to be out on her own. She needs time, Draco. You need to give her time before you rush in there with your anger.”
Time. Time. I wanted to go to her, to fix everything, but I knew he was right. She had to be the one to let me in.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, trying to hold on to my composure.
“Thanks, Theo. I’ll be there soon.”
I wasn’t sure if he could see the urgency in my eyes, but I could feel it rising inside me—this urge to be there for Hermione. I couldn’t stand the idea of her alone, of her suffering and not knowing where to turn. But I knew he was right. I couldn’t barge in there. Not yet.
The call ended, and I sat in silence for a moment, fighting the whirlwind of emotions inside me. I had to be calm. I had to control myself. For her.
I couldn’t let her see the fury that burned in me. I couldn’t let her see the broken, angry part of me that wanted to break everything just to make her pain go away. No. I needed to be there for her, not add to the storm she was already caught in.
My steps were steady, but every inch closer I got to Theo’s flat, the more my chest tightened with guilt.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was my fault. I had shown up at Hermione’s flat that day. I had put my nose where it didn’t belong. I had been there when she needed someone, yes, but also when Ron’s control was already suffocating her.
Had I made it worse? Had my presence pushed her closer to the edge?
No. My mind screamed the denial, but it didn’t stop the guilt from gnawing at me. I could still see the way she looked when I left, still hear her shaky voice, feel the weight of her pain.
Theo had been right. I had to control myself. I had to focus on her now, not my emotions. She needed calm, not chaos.
As I knocked on Theo’s door, I knew that the woman inside wasn’t the Hermione I once knew. This Hermione was broken, worn down. She needed help. She needed someone who could protect her.
Theo opened the door, his face drawn with concern, his eyes flicking to mine in silent understanding. He stepped aside, allowing me in without a word.
Hermione was sitting on the couch, her posture slumped, her head turned slightly as if she didn’t have the energy to lift it. She looked smaller somehow, fragile in a way I had never seen before. The bruises on her face stood out starkly, the remnants of blood still visible, though the cuts had stopped bleeding.
She didn’t look up when I entered, but I could see the way her shoulders tensed, a sharp breath drawn, as if she feared what I might do, what I might say.
I swallowed hard, stepping forward, but not too close, not yet. I didn’t want to overwhelm her.
“Hermione,” I said quietly, my voice tight. “I—I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t shown up at your place—”
“No,” she cut me off, her voice low but firm. Her eyes were heavy, distant, but her words were clear. “This isn’t your fault, Draco.” She shook her head slowly, her hands gripping the sides of the couch. “Ron would have done it regardless. He was always going to push me to this point. I just… I reached my breaking point.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My own breath caught in my chest, but I didn’t speak. I needed her to say what she needed to, without interruption.
Her gaze flickered to the floor, then back to me. “He would have found me eventually, no matter what I did. He would have found a way to tear me down. It wasn’t about you showing up or me… leaving. He always had a way of making me feel like I had nowhere to go, like I was nothing.”
She paused, her lips trembling as she fought to keep the emotion at bay.
I stepped closer, but I didn’t touch her. I didn’t dare, not yet. I didn’t want to make her feel cornered.
“I’m here now, Hermione,” I said softly, my voice thick with the emotion I couldn’t quite hide. “And I’m not leaving. You don’t have to face this alone.”
Theo, who had been silently watching, stepped forward and placed a hand gently on Hermione’s shoulder. She flinched at the contact, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he squeezed lightly, a silent promise of protection.
“Hermione,” Theo said, his voice low, but filled with sincerity. “You’ve been through hell. We both know that. But you don’t have to keep doing this on your own. Draco and I… we’ll protect you, okay? We’ll do everything we can to keep you safe.”
Hermione looked between us, her eyes flicking back and forth as if trying to make sense of it. Her lips parted as if she were about to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. She looked so small in that moment, like a fragile bird caught in a storm.
She finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Draco. I don’t know how to escape from him. I don’t know how to stop him from finding me.”
My heart ached at the desperation in her voice. I took another step toward her, my gaze softening.
“We’ll figure it out,” I said, my voice low but resolute. “I promise you, Hermione, we’ll figure it out. We won’t let him hurt you anymore.”
I wasn’t sure if I was reassuring her or myself at that point, but I had to make her believe it. She had been through so much, and now it was time for someone to protect her, to show her that there was more to life than the hell Ron had put her through.
Theo nodded, his eyes narrowed with the quiet intensity of someone who had always been there for Hermione, even when I hadn’t. “We’ll take care of this. You don’t have to go back to him.”
Hermione let out a shuddering breath and looked down at her hands, folding them in her lap. “I don’t think I can go back to him,” she whispered. “But… I’m scared, Draco. What if he hurts me again?”
She wasn’t looking at me when she said it, but the fear in her voice was unmistakable. And for the first time in a long time, I realized just how much pain she had been hiding.
I swallowed hard, my own hands trembling slightly, but I fought to keep my composure. I had to be her rock, not the other way around.
“You won’t be alone, Hermione,” I said softly, the words more of a promise than anything else. “We’ll make sure of that. You’ll never have to face him again. Not alone. Not ever.”
She finally met my eyes, and for the first time since I had seen her earlier that day, I saw a flicker of hope in them, faint but there. I couldn’t erase the past, couldn’t undo the pain, but I could give her the future she deserved.
And for the first time in a long while, I believed we could both move forward.