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Summary-½ a year, 6months, 182.6210994 days, 4382.90635856 hours, 262974.383136 minutes, and 1577862.98816 seconds. Happy Anniversary Hermione...

“Draco?” Hermione whispered as the curtains came to a close on the epic display of talent, from both dancers and musicians.

“Yes Hermione?”

“You know I’d die for our love don’t you?” She sounded almost worried, as though something was wrong.

“Hermione?” I take her hand and bring her back towards where the doors are, to escape to see what’s wrong with her. She never acts like this. even if she’s just a bit emotional from the play, I still worry about her. This isn’t like her, this isn’t normal.

“Draco?” She’s clawing at her neck, despite the lack of anything there. There’s nothing that I can see, no necklace, no high neckline, no scarf, nothing but her skin. “I-can’t- breathe!” She gasps out her fingers holding onto me, as I get her into the light I see that she’s deathly pale, she’s whiter than I am, the colour is sickening to my eyes from her normal rosy colouring. Her pupils are blown wide, obscuring her beautiful chocolate eyes, with pure, raw, panic. She whirls around and reaches out before falling.

“HERMIONE!” I scream in fear, people come rushing as I try to work out what to do. People’s voices are numerous in my ears, I can’t concentrate. I hear small snatches.

“I’ve called an ambulance they’re on their way!”

“Let me through, I’m her father! Hermione?” Derek’s with me on the floor, and we’re both as helpless as one another. “What happened?” He demands from me, I’m speechless, all I can do is open my mouth, and a small sound escapes from it.

We can hear the sirens now, they’re close, and still coming closer. “What do we do?” I finally force from my mouth.

“As soon as we can we’ll get her transferred or bring in a team from St. Mungos, I have Astrid there at the moment.” He answers quickly, meeting my eyes for the first time. I recoil slightly.

It’s the concerned look of a father, accusing, determined to find the answer, and it scares me more than it should, because I know what he’s thinking. He’s trying to find the blame, and the one person he’s thinking of is me.

“Let us by!” Come authoritive figures, they turn towards us both and I  relax. The team from St. Mungo’s has intercepted the call, she’s going to be fine.

She’s going to be fine, she going to be fine. Fine, safe, happy, our future, our world, my Hermione. I chant, again, and again in my head as they load her up as quickly as possible before wheeling her out to the ambulance.

“Which one of you’s coming?”

“I’m her father.” Derek steps forward.

“I’m her fiancé.” I complain and before either of us can consciously do anything I’ve stepped into the back of the muggle looking ambulance. As I realise what I’ve done I turn to Derek and say three simple words, which hold so much gravity. “I’m so sorry.”

He simply nods before turning, and I know that he’s gone to find an apparation point, because none of us are going to leave Hermione’s side. Not now, not ever. She’s simply too precious to us.

Within seconds we are where we need to be, I stand helplessly back as they take her through. I know I can’t do anything, I had made my choice long ago about what I wanted to be... but suddenly I wanted to be there. I wanted to be the one in charge, I needed to feel in control. I wanted to be a healer because then I would feel useful, like I could do something, anything would be better than this watching through a glass window with her parents on one side of me looking just as ashen faced as I.

“Why is it every time I hear the name Draco BLOODY MALFOY I know something terrible has happened?” I turn, counting to ten, why him? Why the hell did it have to be him?! “Because I don’t think you’ve changed.”

“Look Weasley! I don’t want to be here! I have my fiancé possibly dying in there and I want to know who the bloody culprit is! IF you can’t keep whatever pettiness is between us then I want SOMEONE ELSE on this case!” I roar, and the whole of the hospital seems to have silenced with my words, a hand lies on my shoulder, and I turn to see my mother. I can’t help them, I can’t help the tears which roll thick, fast, hot, almost scolding my skin as they run. “I’m sorry, I’m just so worried about her.” I whisper into the silence, feeling the lump break my voice with emotion I haven’t felt for so long. I turn back to Weasley who’s looking shocked.

“I’m sorry Malfoy, I didn’t realise, I didn’t think you could care so much for her after knowing her for so little time. I’m worried about her too, she’s my best friend, second to none. We’re trapped in this together, and you know that every last single one of us is going to find this maniac because when you hurt one of us...”

“You hurt one of our own.” I recall, Hermione joking about Weasley’s speech the evening when we got home from his first day ‘in office’ she was so happy, smiling away.

“We need to tell Harry and Ginny.”

“No!” I exclaim.

“Why ever not?” He asks almost accusingly, and I can feel all of the purebloods behind me bristle.

“Do you honestly think that she’d want them to come home early? To cut away their honeymoon for her?”

“So what do you suggest?”

“Wait until one of the healers tells us what’s going on for a start, and then we’ll see where we take it!”

“Fine, we’ll do it your way Draco.”

“Thank you, Ron.”

“But in the mean time we’re going to have to ask you some questions.” All of a sudden he’s authorative again, I sigh, running my hand through my hair. There’s no point in arguing, I’ll only waste precious breath.

Well please don’t hate me! I know it’s very different all of a sudden but an explanation will ensue shortly, once I’ve finished writing it which won’t be long I promise you.

Thank you all so much for all of your wonderful reviews, they do mean so much to me when you take the time out to do so, and I will always, always, always reply to them because I think that no matter how long it takes me it’s worthwhile because you’ll have already taken a similar amount of time to tell me what you thought of it.

Ruth

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