Hermione loved the hidden kitchen area in their new eight-year common room, tucked away behind a stone arch. It was just big enough for a straight line of wooden cabinets containing glasses, cups, and a few dishes. On top of them sat a stone surface that already looked like it had been used for centuries. Two windows with a wonderful view over the hillside completed the room. They were allowed to ask the house elves to send food here if they didn't feel like joining the meals in the Great Hall. She still thanked the Headmistress for the opportunity the new arrangement gave them. It was clear that every single one needed to take advantage of it now and then.
The kitchen was the reason Hermione left her room at half past one in the morning. She had finished her Charms essay and wanted to grab a glass and a carafe of water for the night. She still liked to do some things the muggle way, and it had become her ritual before bed. She quietly descended the spiral staircase to avoid waking anyone and saw the reflection of the fire on platinum blond hair.
It wasn't uncommon for the two of them to be the last ones awake. And she thought that his sleeping schedule might be worse than hers, even if it was out for very different reasons.
He often sat in an armchair, reading or doing his homework, with a charm stabilizing his parchment and a floating pot of ink nearby. He would look up at her, smile, and incline his head to wish her a good night. She would return it with a bright smile of her own before she got back to her room, and he returned to whatever he was doing.
But today was different. At first, she thought he might have gone to bed early or that Theo had drugged him with a Dreamless sleep potion during dinner, as she didn't see him in his usual armchair. But he sat with his hands pressed into his eyes, elbows on his knees on the couch directly in front of the fireplace.
After a moment of thought, she headed to the kitchen, making enough noise rummaging through the cabinets for Draco to know she was downstairs. Then, she returned to the common room and approached him. He didn't react to her presence and Hermione bit her lip while she tried to figure out what she should do as a hoarse voice interrupted her musings.
“I can hear your brain screaming in frustration because it can't solve a problem. If this is about the Ancient Runes homework, I can’t help much because I’m only halfway through myself."
Hermione huffed, put her glass and the carafe on the small side table, and sat down next to the Slytherin.
“No, truth be told I haven't even started it yet”, she answered. Contrary to him, she needed around six hours of sleep every night.
“What's got it in shambles then?”
“You.” She hadn't intended to sound so sincere, but it was the truth.
Draco turned his head a bit, so he was able to look at her out of the corner of his eye questioningly, and she thought that it shouldn't be possible to express so much with the meager part of his face visible as he did. She could practically hear his unspoken question in the air: “What in Salazar's name, Granger?”
She shrugged: “You don't seem to be alright, so I thought I would come over.”
Draco hummed at the explanation and answered with a low: “I'm fine.”
Hermione huffed: “You and Fine are as far away from each other, as we are from London right now. What I intended to say was, that you seem to be worse than usual.”
He didn't answer and just as Hermione thought about leaving him and his mood for Theo, Blaise, or Pansy to deal with he said in a low voice.
“Headache.”
She sighed in sympathy, she seldom experienced them and most of those came after a night of drinking and could be easily dealt with. But she had seen Harry suffer enough to empathize with the younger man. Maybe she could help him, but would he allow her to do so?
“I can hear that you are thinking again.”
The bastard sounded amused and Hermione rolled her eyes because she could do so without causing herself further pain. Contrary to him.
“I...”, she hesitated, even if they were on friendly terms now, her next words might overstep a boundary. And she didn't want to risk the fragile friendship they had formed since the start of the term in a single moment.
Draco looked up at her with concern as her voice faltered and Hermione needed to admit that he looked exhausted. Lines of pain showed next to his eyes, there were dark bags under them as well and his hair was disheveled.
“You?”, he asked curiously as a log burst into flames in the fireplace with a loud crack, and he squeezed his eyes shut in pain, curling back into himself. Which was the last encouragement she needed.
“I might be able to help you with the headache. Harry suffered under them regularly as Voldemort was still alive and terrorized him with visions.”
Draco flinched at the name. But Hermione would not call him 'Voldy Moldy and his wriggly wonder worm' like Theo suggested as it became clear that the remaining Slytherins struggled with the mentioning of the 'Dark Lords' name. Harry had started to call him Tom after that, but that felt far too personal for her liking.
“Potter's problem had been that he wasn't able to use Occlumency. My problem is that I use it too much.”, Draco drawled.
“I think that doesn't matter," she said. Concerned about his confession, even if she knew that he was a brilliant Occlumence and that he used it on rough days. If she trusted Theo, he used it less than he did the first few weeks after his return to Hogwarts. Though he still relied on it often. Blaise had told them about the headaches he got when he used his mental shields too often, as they had found Draco fast asleep on his shoulder one evening in the common room after they had mixed two pain potions into his tea.
“Are you alright with taking a pain potion, before I wield a wand at your head and touch you?”, she asked and needed a moment to identify the raspy sound as a laugh.
“I survived over a year with a murderous psychopath or twenty living in my home. Before I fought in a war, which I lost, and took a nice little holiday in Azkaban afterward. Forgive me for not being afraid a lot anymore.”
She wanted to argue with him, because why did he occlude that much if he wasn't afraid, but knew there would be a better time for this discussion.
“Okay. I'll go upstairs and grab everything I need, while you could change into something more comfortable as well?”, she said and grabbed her glass and the carafe on her way before she turned around once more.
Draco looked at her blearily, and it seemed that he had a hard time processing what she asked.
“You are still wearing your shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. I think it might be more comfortable if you change into something else," she explained, and he nodded but didn't move.
Hermione waited for a moment in case he would follow before she walked up to her room and put away her glass and the water. Then she grabbed her wand, secured it in her bun, and looked into her trunk for a pain potion and the small pot containing a herbal cream she already used to help Harry.
When she came back down Draco hadn't moved and Hermione sighted. She knew that he owned comfortable clothes. He had already worn them on more than one occasion, even if he seemed to prefer looking impeccable most of the time. Not wearing any shoes seemed to be the only comfort he allowed himself, but she decided that it wasn't enough tonight.
“Draco, I've got anything I need, would you please change into something more comfortable?”, she asked softly and was rewarded with a slight shake of his head, which he seemed to regret instantly. Hermione crouched down in front of him and tried to catch his eyes.
“I know that you are in pain and tired. I want to help you, so please listen to me if I say that it will be to your benefit to change into something soft and warm. Something you can relax in. You told me, that you aren't afraid, so let yourself be vulnerable in front of me.”
She knew what she was asking. Knew that Draco barricaded himself behind expensive but simple clothing and aristocratic behavior more often than not. He trusted no one besides Theo, Blaise, and Pansy. And even they weren't private to his thoughts and feelings half of the time.
“I can go and grab something for you if you prefer to stay here.”, she offered after a moment of hesitation.
Draco didn't react at first, and she wanted to apologize for her forwardness as he got up on unsteady feet and made his way to the staircase slowly, using sofas and chairs to keep himself upright. She worried a bit but wasn't surprised that he didn't take up on her offer.
She was already kneeling on the couch when he came back, looking even paler than before and as if he might be sick soon. But he had changed into loose black sweatpants and a green Slytherin Hoodie; which was the newest addition of Hogwarts clothing they'd got after the war.
“Lay down and put your head on my legs.”, she instructed and patted her upper tights to underline her words. Draco sat down gingerly and she saw him swaying slightly before he did as he was told. She had anticipated a fight. Draco wasn't someone to invade personal space easily and what she was asking was more than simply 'entering private space', but it told her how much he needed someone to help him through this night. And so she handed him the vial containing the pain potion and told him to drink it in a tone that didn't leave room for an argument. She took the empty vial back and looked around the room before her eyes settled on the logs next to the fireplace. She summoned one of them with her wand and transfigured the rough wood into a simple bucket. She sat it down on the floor next to them.
“Close your eyes. I need to point my wand at your head for a spell that will help ease the pain in combination with the salve I use for the massage. They will help to loosen your muscles and soothe the nerve endings. You might feel some pressure at first, but it is on the surface only and it is me. Nothing will happen to you. After that, I will massage your head down to the shoulders with the salve I already mentioned. If something makes you feel uncomfortable please tell me, and I will stop immediately.
Draco hummed, his eyes squeezed shut. He had the hem of both sleeves in a death grip and his knees were bent, so he could put his feet flat on the cushions. He rubbed them constantly on one another, which spoke volumes about how nervous he was.
“I will start now.”, she warned and spoke the incantation, moving her wand with the right hand, while the left laid on Draco's soft hair already in an attempt to ground him. But to no avail. It didn't take more than ten seconds for his eyes to shoot open, pupils blown wide in a panic and trying to get up frantically just to be sick seconds later over the edge of the sofa. Luckily Hermione had anticipated the reaction and was able to place the bucket under him in time. Harry had reacted the same a few times and she was always prepared since the first time it happened.
Draco came back up a fraction, arms shaking with the effort it took to hold himself upright.
“Sorry”, he rasped, “Pressure. Bellatrix.”
He didn't continue but leaned over the bucket again and her blood ran cold at those two words. Her heart beat hard against her chest as panic rose within her. Memories of her short stay at the Manor surfaced with a sickening intensity. But before she could spiral down, long and cold fingers wrapped around her wrist. The small contact was everything she needed to stay in the present. She inhaled deeply, held her breath, and exhaled again. She felt a gentle squeeze on her wrist as she repeated the exercise and looked down at Draco, who watched her in concern. His breathing was still harsh and uneven, while he was shaking like a leaf. As he saw, that she was looking at him, he relaxed a bit and propped himself up into a sitting position. Head bent down and with his hands on the couch to stabilize himself.
“Sorry”, he rasped and his voice broke at the end of the word, “I should have kept that to myself.”
Hermione shook herself out of her shock: “No. It is alright, I am sorry because I could have explained better what would happen.”
She could smack herself, Draco had been tortured by Bellatrix with Legilimency. Not only visions like Voldemort did to Harry, as horrible and excruciating they had been. But Draco had endured hours after hours of true torture with Legilimeny and the Cruciatus Curse at the hands of his aunt. Days without food and rationed amounts of water, barely enough to keep him alive in the cellars of the Manor. Just to repeat their doings at every given opportunity.
Draco never spoke about it, but his extracted memories had been part of his trial as well as Veritaserum.
“Don't be, you warned me of the pressure.”
Hermione huffed but didn't argue, she asked a question instead: “Do you want something to drink? Or something to rinse your mouth with?”, she asked to break the heavy silence that had settled between them and Draco nodded.
“That would be great.”
Hermione grimaced as she heard his voice, it sounded wracked and it must hurt a lot to speak.
“Hush, don't talk. I will make us some tea and then I will help with your headache if you are still up for another try.”
She felt uncertainty creep up on her, but Draco nodded barely visible. She scurgyfied the bucket before she made her way to the kitchen and waited for the water to boil.
She could do this. She could help. He needed help. He didn't intend to harm her with those words. He used them as an apology. He used them to make sure that it wasn't her fault that he couldn't endure her treatment. She wanted to help him.
And then she ignored the little flutter in her chest because the time was right to acknowledge it.
The kettle whistled and she poured the water into two mugs. Then she added a few peppermint leaves, grabbed another glass, and made her way back into the common room. Draco sat as she had left him, but she saw him clean the bucket again with a simple flick of his wand shortly before she reached him. His hair was sweat-soaked and he folded around the steaming mug once she had handed it over. Their fingers touched briefly as she handed it over and she recognized that his fingers were cold and tremors ran through his body.
She set the glass down in front of them on the table and filled it with water before she sat down as well. They sipped their tea in comfortable silence as Draco gained back as much composure as possible.
As they both drained the last bit of tea, she collected the mugs to put them aside and looked at the Slytherin: “Should we try again or do you want to go to bed as the first try wasn't too promising? I won't take any offense if you decide for the latter.”
Draco huffed and uncurled himself to look at her, his eyes were bloodshot and Hermione thought about sending him to Madame Pomfrey. He had never looked that bad.
“If you are still up for another try, I would accept gladly. But it is alright if you don't want to, it is quite late by now", he answered in a raspy voice.
He gave her an easy way out pretending she actually was too tired to do it again even if he must feel miserable. Which made her even more determined to try again.
“Lay down, I will ease you more slowly into the incantation this time. The pressure will take longer to vanish this way, but it won't build up as intense as earlier.”
She shifted, so Draco could lay down like he had before and waited until he had settled with his head on her legs again. He lay in the same position now, hands with a death grip on his sleeves and neck muscled tense. She could feel his rapid heartbeat through the thin material of her pants. She cast a warming charm over him, which hopefully helped him to relax, and put her left hand on top of his head again. Blunt fingernails scratched his scalp as she spoke the incantation while fluidly moving her wand at the same time. Draco tensed even further, knuckles white around the dark green material of his hoodie, but he didn't move otherwise. Hermione watched him take deep, even breaths which were so regular, that she was quite sure he did a breathing exercise.
“You are doing great.”, she whispered, “You are safe. You are at Hogwarts, in the eight-year common room. Everyone besides us is already asleep, it is just me and you. No one can hurt us here. Theo and Blaise are upstairs, as are Harry, Ron and Neville. They will protect us if we call for them. It is just me and you. I am trying to help you.”
She continued like that for a while until she was sure he made it through the worst part of the healing charm. After that she started to massage his head, the earlier spell increased her administration in combination with the salve. It took a while, but she felt and saw him relax further with every passing minute. His fingers uncurled slightly from their hard grip and his constantly moving feet stilled. She smiled at the sight.
His usually cold skin felt warm by the time she finished and the lines of pain around his eyes had vanished. She couldn't do anything against the dark circles under them, but maybe some dreamless sleep would do the trick for once.
“Thank you.”Draco whispered and Hermione smiled down at him, even if he couldn't see her with his eyes still closed.
“You are welcome, Draco. Come on now, let's get you to bed.”, she answered and brushed a soft white blonde strand of hair out of his eyes. His hair was a bit longer than it had been in their sixth year and welled a bit. She wasn't the only girl or boy attracted to him in one way or another. Yesterday she had caught two third-year Ravenclaw's giggling and whispering excitedly after he passed them in the corridor. And they weren't the only ones. It seemed that he left as many swooning teens in his way as hexes were thrown at him.
“Draco," she said again and tugged slightly at the strand of hair she still held between her fingers, “Off to bed with you.”
He cracked an eye open: “Sleep here.”
The 'Sleep won't last long anyway' hung unspoken in the air between them.
“You”, she said sternly, “will go to bed now, take a dreamless sleep potion and rest for the rest of the night. I'll make sure Theo or Blaise wakes you in time for breakfast and classes. Come on now.”
Draco mumbled something she couldn't understand but got up anyway. Hermione couldn't help but smile as he turned around and looked at her with drooping eyes, flushed cheeks, and hair that was in for a competition with Harry's mob.
He held out his arm expectantly as if they were going to a dance and not their beds, but she accepted the offer anyway. Just to make sure he got up the stairs safely, she told herself as warmth rose within her.
They walked up the stairs together and Draco stopped in front of her door, but she led him further down the hallway to the Slytherin boys dormitory.
“You look like you might fall asleep any second, so I will make sure that you reach your bed”, she whispered as an explanation at his confused face and he hummed in confirmation.
But before one of them could unlock the door it opened from the inside and Theodore Nott looked at them with narrowed eyes. His stern expression was compromised by his sleep-mussed hair that stood up wildly and a prominent pillow mark on his right cheek.
“Hi”, she whispered, “I think this one belongs to you.”
Theos face softened as he took in Draco's sleepy form and he smiled cheekily at her: “I wouldn't be too sure about that. The same could be said about you, but I agree that he lives here.”
She furrowed her brow, but Theo just smirked and opened his arms invitingly for Draco, who detached himself from Hermione and sunk into his friend's embrace with a sight, mumbling something into his shoulder she couldn't make out. Theo listened intently to whatever the blonde in his arms was saying, the genuine smile never leaving his face as his blue eyes stared at her intensely.
“Has she now?”, he asked and Draco nodded, saying something else, which made Theo laugh.
“Go on then, I will join you soon.”
Draco let go of Theo and walked a few steps into their shared room before he turned around with a very sleepy expression and whispered: “Night, Hermione.”
“Goodnight Draco”, she answered and watched in amusement as he stumbled slightly while turning around again. Before he changed his direction quickly as another voice called out to him. Her best guess was, that it had been Blaise.
Theo huffed and turned his attention back to Hermione.
“Thank you”, he said sincerely, “I haven't seen him relaxed like this in ages. Really, I can't remember a day he looked like this after... I don't know. Maybe it has been a decade by now. I couldn't understand what exactly you've done, but he is pouting that you suggested to take a dreamless sleep.”
She laughed heartily at that, but put a hand over her mouth instantly and looked around frantically, but all doors stayed closed and she knew that Blaise was already awake. It was an unspoken rule, that sleep hadn't to be disturbed. Most of them slept barely enough without interruptions from others.
“I worked over half an hour on him so that he finally relaxed and the dreamless sleep potion is all he mentions?”, she asked amused. And then paled at Theo's obvious smirk.
“I massaged his head!”, she squeaked, cheeks turning red. “I swear. He had a headache and looked miserable. Well, more miserable than usual anyway and I couldn't just...”
“Granger, stop”, Theo interrupted her rambling amusement coloring his voice. “It is alright. I know he was worse than usual today. He overdid it with occluding the last couple of days and spiraled a bit after he let his walls down yesterday to prevent this from happening. But slammed them back up because his thoughts were too much to bear. We work on that, but it will take time, a lot of time and he knows that this isn't a healthy coping mechanism.”
Hermione nodded in understanding, but before her brain could get into research mode Theo spoke again: “But remember, that you can't say things like that in my presence. I will turn them against you.”
She tried to look offended, but couldn't stop the quiet laugh that escaped her.
“Alright Theodore, I will remember that in the future, but now I have to go to bed. Good night.”
“Sounds good to me, I will make sure to drug our friend into oblivion so as not to destroy your hard work. Good night.”
Back at her own dormitory door she looked back to the Slytherin room and saw Theo still watching her. As if he made sure that she arrived safely at her destination. She waved another goodnight and he did the same before she stepped into her room and crawled into her bed after a halfhearted wash and fell asleep with a smile on her face.