Donor

She opted to walk home from the hospital. It wasn’t the best option but apparating in her condition did not sound like a good idea and her purse with muggle money was in the bag Susan had taken with her. And honestly? She could use the fresh air after everything she just went through.

Hermione wasn’t sure how Draco managed the strength to conjure such finicky transportation magic so quickly after being on the brink of death. All she had done was give her blood and she felt like she was recovering from a terrible bout of the worst flu imaginable. The blood-replenishing potion had done its job, it brought her back to safe functioning levels, but it would most likely take a while to fully feel back to normal.

After thirty days she was starting to wonder if it had all been a dream. The only way she knew it wasn’t a figment of her imagination happened to be because Theodore Nott had taken to visiting the office. Often. At first it was random minor injuries that he could have healed himself and it soon morphed into him just popping in to say ‘hi’ to a certain red-headed nurse.

She had never gotten the full story about what happened between them, all Susan would say was that he was an arsehole back in during their Hogwarts days. Hermione always had to hide her smiles and laughter while she watched him flirt desperately only to get the cold shoulder from Susan. Hannah had taken to leaving the office as soon as she saw him, mumbling about insufferable men and their inability to take a hint. She was secretly rooting for Theo to fix whatever he had broke between them.

He had come for his usual Thursday afternoon visit during the last week of May, to his surprise and dismay, Susan had owled her that morning to say she would not be in. When she informed Theo that his person of interest was not there he deflated.

“Did she say why she wouldn’t be in?”

“She did not,” Hermione responded, finishing up a form to release an Auror from active duty while he recovered from an unfortunate spell rebounding accident. “Theo?”

“Yeah, Granger?”

“How are you feeling after the... incident?”

“Oh. Erm. Fine I guess.”

“That’s good,” she murmured. “Zabini and Malfoy?”

A small tingle appeared on her wrist, to remind her of the contract she signed. It was real and it happened.

“Fine as far as I know.”

She figured that was as much as she would get out of him, but it had been worth a shot.

“There’s a park just south of here in muggle London. It’s a nice place for a walk should you ever find yourself in need of a day off...”

Theo looked at her for a moment as if she had spoken in a foreign language. And then it clicked.

“Granger, I owe you!” He exclaimed as he made a hasty exit.

“Seems to be a new trend,” she said to herself and her documents.

A few nights later she found herself at the Leaky with a group of women from school. Hannah and Susan sat to her left, Ginny, and Luna on her right, with Katie Bell, Cho Chang, and the Patil’s across from them. They were having a great catch up since it usually took months before all their schedules could be coordinated. Laughing about old embarrassing stories, gossiping about their other classmates who had recently married or had children, exchanging new spells or wardrobe hacks. The hours felt like minutes and before she knew it, she had exceeded her normal two drink limit.

She was giggling while listening to a couple of girls go back and forth on the most favorable sex position when it happened.

“Granger,” a cool voice spoke from behind her, “a word?”

She turned in her seat and traced her eyes over the crisp black robes to find Draco Malfoy towering over her with an expressionless face.

“Ferret, all these years and your manners still have not improved,” Ginny challenged from her side. “Its utterly disappointing.”

“Weaslette. A pleasure as always,” he shot back sounding like he would truly rather be talking to Dementor before eyeing the rest of the table and tipping his head. “Ladies.”

“Malfoy,” Harry addressed as he approached with Ron. The latter hosting a displeased scowl on his face. She hadn’t even seen them come in, but it was probably about that time when they normally came to join and or collect their wives.

“Potter. Weasley.”

“Ladies,” Theo added his hello while flanking Draco’s right side, Blaise did the same on the left. “Boys.”

“Great, now that we’ve taken attendance,” Ginny said with heavy sarcasm, “I believe Malfoy was going to demonstrate proper etiquette when requesting to speak to someone.”

All eyes fell on Draco, he clenched his jaw, and then he extended his upturned hand to her, “Granger, a moment of your time?”

“Please,” Ginny fake coughed into her hand earning an arctic glare from him and a few various snorts from the table.

Hermione stood, “Gin, its fine.”

She sidestepped the offered hand and moved toward the only unoccupied corner at the end of the bar. She didn’t need to look behind to see if he followed, she could feel him at her back. His tall frame blocked out the rest of the room once they reached their destination.

Raising a brow at him when he didn’t speak, she pushed her hip against the wall to stabilize herself.

“I have been instructed to apologize to you.”

“I told your mother not to bother,” she huffed, her tone resembling the unforgiving girl she used to be, the girl who once put people into jars. The alcohol was giving her liquid courage to be less cordial than her normal empathetic disposition. The man in front of her stiffened, obviously expecting her to bend how she had at the hospital.

“What you did was unnecessary,” he snarled.

“Save your life?”

“I did not need or want your blood.”

“Clearly,” she countered and pushed off the wall to move closer to him. “Have you found a new donor yet, Malfoy?”

He looked away from her, choosing to glower at the bar top instead.

“By my calculations, you have roughly 30 days left. Maybe less. Would be a shame if your time ran out and my dirty blood was again not needed.”

“Do you speak to all of your patients like this?”

“Only the tactlessly pure-blooded and horribly ungrateful ones. Congratulations Draco, you embody both.”

“Did you just… Granger, how much have you had to drink?”

She wished she could’ve taken a picture of the look on his face. He looked… normal for once. Like a person with feelings, who was actually somewhat attractive without the emotionless hardened scowl he normally sported.

Hermione shook herself mentally. Attractive? She found Draco Malfoy attractive? Well, if she was being honest, he had never been awful looking…   

“Oi! Quit hogging the birthday boy!” One of his friends yelled from the table the two of them had stepped away from. She peered around his shoulder finding a much larger group of people than the one they had left.

She attempted to move around him only to find herself stopped by his sudden grip on her upper arm. His eyes bounced between hers. Her cheeks grew warm under his inspection. It was the alcohol, it had to be, no way would she blush because of Draco Malfoy… right?

“Draco, stai spaventando la gente del posto,” Theo’s calming voice called in Italian.  

She might have been able to piece together the meaning behind the words if she wasn’t so lost in whatever spell they were locked in. The air around them felt charged, his fingers tightened around her bicep as he leaned closer to her, his face brushing against hers as if he were to whisper something, and then he released her as if she had burned him.  

“Go. Back to your reckless friends before they do something stupid like draw their wands and start a fight they won’t win.” 

Of course it only took him opening his mouth for it to feel like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her. To feel like the young girl he used to find sport in tormenting. Only this time it wasn’t with nasty hurtful slurs, he was patronizing her, which at this point in her life, bothered her way more than some silly derogatory words. 

“Happy birthday, Malfoy,” she snapped. “Enjoy it, could be your last.” 

Hermione made it back to the table and sank down into her seat ignoring the questioning stares from everyone. She reached for her glass and frowned when she found it empty, remembering that she had finished it just prior to Draco’s appearance.  

A full one appeared in front of her. She traced the hand that had placed it on the table up to its owner. Theo pulled his arm back and placed it on the back of Susan’s chair. Hermione pretended not to notice that he brushed his fingers against the redhead’s collarbone and neck on his way to resting it on the old wood and glanced away when Susan shivered in response.  

“What was that about?” Ron asked her, trying to sound like he didn’t care, but failing miserably.  

Padma elbowed her husband, making him grunt but he didn’t rescind his question.  

“Medical inquiry,” she shrugged. Doing her best to stay within the strict contract limitations while also keeping him from getting too curious. 

“Looked intense,” Harry prodded, earning an eye roll and tsk from Ginny who had clearly picked up on the fact that Hermione didn’t want to discuss it. 

“Yes, well, he’s…” she trailed off trying to find the right word to define him without sounding like he had managed to get under her skin. 

“Draco,” Theo supplied with a knowing smile, capturing the perfect descriptor.  

That seemed to appease both of her friends as they both hummed and nodded in understanding. 

“Once a ferret, always a ferret,” Ginny joked. Clearly hoping to lighten the mood. 

It worked. The table laughed and then resumed side conversations that had been placed on hold for her return. Theo and Zabini said their goodbyes and joined Draco at a corner table on the other side of the bar. Pansy arrived shortly after and made herself comfy beside the birthday boy.  

Hermione tried her best to jump back into having a good time with her friends but found herself too distracted by the verbal and physical altercation that had taken place with her new patient. She could still feel his hand on her arm and the fact that she had blushed and found him handsome for a brief moment was really throwing her. She pushed the half-full drink in front of her away as if it had betrayed her.  

She leaned into Ginny’s side, “I’m gonna use the loo and then head home.” 

“Alright,” Ginny returned. “Want me to come with?” 

She shook her head and stood, saying goodnight to those that could hear her before moving toward the bathrooms.  

Hermione was on her way out of the Leaky, just through the door and on to the cobblestone, when her wrist was grabbed. “Heard you’ve been on a Slytherin saving spree, Granger,” Flint’s slimy breath brushed against face as he spun her towards him. “Want to have a go at ‘saving’ me, too?” 

She did her best to repress a shudder at the grotesque inuendo and promptly yanked herself out of his hold. “I’ll pass, thanks.” 

“Think you’re too good for me, do you?” He hummed, baring his awful teeth at her. 

“Precisely,” she responded and tried continue walking. 

“Come now, Granger, not thirty minutes ago you let Malfoy get a handful,” he tutted as he reached for her again. 

She dodged it but just barely, her awkward drunken movements had her accidentally cornered, her back pressed against side of the Leaky while Flint stalked forward caging her in with his hands on either side of her head.  

“Did Nott and Zabini get special treatments as well or just Malfoy?” 

“Draco-,” she started to say, ready to refute that he had gotten ‘a handful’ of her or received any special treatment, when a cold voice overpowered hers. 

“Draco, thinks you should step away from her, Marcus.” 

The vile man in front of her swiftly had the tip of a wand pressed against his temple.  He raised his hands in the air and took a step back. From both her and the wand aimed at him. “Easy mate, we were just having a spot of fun. Right, Granger?” 

She scowled at him, whipping her forgotten wand out of her back pocket and mirrored Draco who still had his wand raised at Flint. 

Draco’s laugh caught her off guard and she took her eyes off the man she was seconds away from hexing. “I would leave if I were you,” Draco chuckled darkly. “Before her brain catches up and she transfigures you into the vermin that you are.”  

For the first time in knowing him, Flint looked slightly scared. He was gone in the same puff of smoke that Draco had disappeared in at the hospital after his accident.  

Her reprieve was short lived. 

“You need to be more careful,” Draco scolded. 

Her mouth dropped open. 

“I beg your fucking pardon?”  

Draco pressed his palm against his mouth and swiped his hand down as if he were trying to calm himself before throwing the same hand in her direction.  “You’re clearly pissed and shouldn’t be walking about alone.” 

“I’m sorry, I’m still having a difficult time understanding your insinuation,” Hermione huffed in a rage. “You think what just happened is my fault!?” 

“No, of course not.”  

“Then what-,” she started and then stopped, “You know what? No. I’m not doing this with you.” 

Hermione made it three steps away before whirling around and stomping back.  

“Let me make one thing abundantly clear, Malfoy,” she said in a dangerously calm voice earning a brow raise in return, “He thought he could touch me because you did. If you ever touch me without my permission again, I promise you the blood curse will be the least of your worries.” 

The color his eyes turned would be considered demonic in most parts of the world.

“He touched you.” It was a statement, not a question. Almost as if he were repeating it to make sure he heard it correctly. “Explain why you said he thought he could.” 

“According to him, I let you get a handful inside and gave your friends special treatment when they were in my care. He basically said I was fair game for Slytherins.” 

“He wasn’t going to harm you,” Draco’s clipped reply fell from his lips while closing the short distance between them and towering over her, “He wanted information from you. Flint deals in blackmail, Granger, and he wants some on me. Badly.” 

“Why did he think he could get it from me?”

“Because you’re vulnerable right now.”

“I can handle myself,” she whispered, unsure of where her bravado went.

“Never said you couldn’t.”

“You implied-,” 

It wasn’t until her back hit the wall for the second time that night that she realized he had been walking her backwards the whole time.  

“I implied that at present, you are not fully up to par. Which, for normal circles, your circles, may be perfectly safe.” He cut in. Face so close she could see the gray flecks in his eyes even though it was a moonless night. “You have, however, entered a different social circumstance since the moment you agreed to be a private Healer to men who have shady pasts with even darker acquaintances.” 

Hermione frowned. She had not considered the possibility of being in the direct line of fire, at least not physically, with the Pure-blood community again. A costly oversight that she would have to re-evaluate once sober.  

The whisper of his fingers against her cheek as he wound a stray curl around his index finger had her inhaling sharply. He tugged the piece of hair and a whimper tumbled out of her. “As for your threat,” he cooed, lips millimeters away from hers, “you have already made that promise a reality. So, unless you would like to come up with something more creative…” His lips moved to her ear, “Try not to be so bloody trusting of the world around you.”  

A shiver wracked her body when Draco’s body heat was no longer enveloping her. All she saw was his back as he re-entered the bar a few feet away.  

What in Merlin’s name had just happened? 

One minute she was ready to hex him to oblivion, the next she was hoping he would close the gap between them to kiss her, and now she was back to wanting to inflict some kind of bodily harm. 

“That pompous, narcissistic,” she ranted, crack, “arsehole!” She finished in the safety of her flat. The vase on her coffee table exploded as she took her wrath out on it. “Oh bollocks,” she cursed realizing she would now have to clean glass out of every nook and cranny. 

By the time she finished making sure that she, or one of her friends, would not be impaled anytime they sat down, Hermione was beyond exhausted and ready for bed.

Crookshanks mewled in protest when she nudged him out of her spot on the bed.  

Hermione tossed and turned for at least an hour before she sat up in bed simultaneously casting a lumos to light the lamps. She began scrawling a list of everything she needed to do the following day, along with a pro-con list on the side of her existing list of whether to continue being a private Healer or not. She added a note to start supplemental training in defensive spells and mind fortification. Following it up with another bullet point to find possible respectable blood donors for Malfoy. Once her brain was finally satisfied, she extinguished the lights and promptly slipped into sleep.