Ch. 21

Hermione's POV

I walked into my office the next day to find a larger set of flowers on my desk with another note asking me to lunch this time. I was grinning from ear to ear when Jenn came in to lay a stack of files on my desk, giving me a sly grin as she did.

"Is Mister Malfoy going to be gracing our office again soon?" She asked, nodding towards the flowers.

I shook my head at her and said, "No, but I'm meeting him for lunch again today."

She pouted slightly but asked, "Have you snatched him up yet?"

I couldn't hide my smile. "It's not official yet but we are certainly seeing each other, and very happy about it."

"Aww! That's wonderful!" She exclaimed, putting a hand on my arm and looking back at the flowers. "Just make sure I get an invite to the wedding!"

She winked then as she left my office, leaving me laughing slightly. I sent Draco a quick text saying that I'd love to meet him for lunch and dove into the stack of files Jenn had left for me.

My phone dinged as Draco texted me, bringing me out of my work headspace. I smiled to myself when I read the message.

Merlin, he was intent on spoiling me. I sent back a quick okay and gathered my things to lock up while I was away.

"Hello."

I looked up and froze. Had it been a month already? I hissed, "How did you get past Jenn? You're not allowed back here!"

Ron shrugged from my doorway. "She wasn't at her desk when I came up."

"What do you want, Ronald?" I asked, annoyed as I continued to put away my files.

"It's been a month, I figured you would've cooled down enough to talk," He said quietly as he leaned against my doorframe. "Going somewhere?"

"Actually yes," I said with a sigh, straightening up and checking my watch. "Our talk will have to wait."

"Where are you going?" He asked suspiciously. "And who are you going with?"

"That is none of your business, Ronald," I said. "In case you've forgotten, our relationship ended a little over a month ago."

"Of course I haven't forgotten." He pushed himself off the doorway and slowly started walking towards me as I stiffened. "Every day that I was in Romania helping Charlie, I was thinking about you. Thinking about what I was going to say when I get back."

"Well," I looked down at my watch, "You're going to have to wait. If you'll excuse me..."

I concentrated on Ramsay's front lobby and went to apparate away when he suddenly grabbed my hand right before I disapparated. We both landed in the lobby of Ramsay's, but I couldn't move as a rush of pain went through my arm and across my back and chest.

Everything began to blur slightly as there was yelling all around me, and it barely registered that I had fallen to the floor in a heap. There were hands on me and a sudden blond head in front of my face, yelling at someone else.

My vision snapped back suddenly and I saw Draco kneeling down next to me, carefully trying to pick me up in his arms.

"What are you doing to her?" I heard Ron yell as he was being held back by other wizards. "Put her down!"

"I'm taking her to St. Mungo's," Draco sneered angrily. "And I won't do anything worse than you already have, Weasel! Why don't you do something useful and tell your sister and her husband where she'll be!"

I clenched my eyes shut as the pain increased, feeling the tears roll down my face as Draco walked us somewhere. "I'm using your fireplace to floo, Martin."

"Of course, sir."

"Don't worry, Hermione," He said quietly as he leaned down to press a quick kiss to my forehead. "You'll be alright soon."

There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice as he said this but he quickly stepped up into something and said, "St. Mungo's!"

In a flash, we landed and he quickly stepped out, calling for Healers to come help.

"She's been splinched!" He yelled. "It's very bad, please!"

I was suddenly taken away from Draco, and everything turned to black.

Draco's POV

I followed as the Healers in lime green robes rushed her away, even though I didn't want to let her go. The events replayed in my head as I walked through the different floors up to the fourth where she would be treated; Hermione apparated into the lobby of Ramsay's with Weasel grabbing onto her hand, and he looked very confused when he landed. Hermione, though, went pale as a ghost as the blood started seeping through her long-sleeved, white blouse.

When she fell to the floor, I nearly lost it. Thankfully, there were two or three wizards who held Weasel back when I rushed to her, or else I may have pummeled him myself.

I sat down in one of the chairs outside her room and put my head in my hands as I remembered hearing her groaning in my arms from the pain. I didn't even know how extensive her injuries were, but based on the blood soaking through my suit jacket, she had to have been injured very badly.

Pulling out my phone, I sent a quick text to Blaise.

It didn't take long for him to respond.

I laughed at that.

A few moments went by, and then Blaise texted again. 

I put the phone away and returned back to the real world, my heart sinking again. My leg was shaking from anxiety and I put my head in my hands, taking a few deep breaths.

Minutes later, there was a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Harry, Ginny, and, to my dismay, Ron standing behind them. I stood up and shook hands with Harry, reaching over to give Ginny a side hug.

"What happened?" Ginny asked quickly. "Ron was saying that she was splinched but he didn't say how. And you're absolutely covered in blood!"

She rubbed off some of the blood that had transferred from my jacket to her arm and I ran a hand through my hair after pulling the jacket off. "Sorry; I carried Hermione here. She was bleeding badly through her shirt."