"There, there, you are safe now." He patted her back gently, comforting her in a low voice.
Hermione trembled slightly, still unable to believe it was real.
Is this a hallucination?
Perhaps she had already died beneath the werewolf's sharp teeth and claws... this was all just her soul's imagining...
But the fresh scent coming from his neck felt so real. Real, like waking from a dream.
She held him tightly, longing to nestle in his arms and escape the cold of the night; and he no longer dodged, no longer hesitated, no longer wavered.
He embraced her tightly, enveloping her completely with an unprecedented firmness.
She could feel his heartbeat.
Violent. Powerful. Loud.
He smelled wonderful. As she breathed in his scent, she gradually withdrew from her fear and regained her peace of mind.
He was warm. She nuzzled against him, lifting her face from his shoulder to rub against his.
That warmth was more real than any fantasy.
Yes, he is a real person, not merely a figment of her imagination.
As her senses gradually returned, some truths swept through her heart like a night wind, their voices too loud to ignore.
Draco had stood in front of her, protecting her from the terrifying werewolf.
Hermione was shaken... was she that important to him? Important enough that he would risk his life to protect her?
Why was he willing to risk his life for her? Why was he so reckless?
Why was he always able to arrive in time, find her helpless, and save her, again and again?
Why had he not pulled away and kept his usual distance, but instead, unusually, held her in return?
In her confusion, she hesitated before turning her face towards his. She tried to look up at him, her heart filled with a mixture of surprise and helplessness.
At that moment, Draco turned his face and stared intently into her eyes.
The warm hue that once flowed in his eyes was now replaced by a look of sorrow, heartbreak, and helplessness that seemed almost to freeze them over.
"Draco..." Her cheeks were still damp, and her breathy, broken voice was choked with sobs, "Why?"
"What?" His grey eyes released a soft light, attempting to comfort her desolate soul.
Hermione cowered.
She had countless questions she wanted to ask him. But when he met her gaze, none of those questions seemed to matter any more.
His eyes shone with a tender light, his hand gently patted hers, and his warm breath brushed against her face.
"It is nothing..." She sobbed twice, lowered her eyes sadly, and looked as forlorn as a stray cat that could not find its way home.
Draco sighed softly, his last shred of pretence shattered by her expression. He stroked her soft, curly hair and pulled her closer.
She immediately let out a soft, plaintive sound and buried her face in his shoulder again.
He lovingly stroked her back, gently comforting her, and repeated to her, "Do not be afraid. I am here. No one can hurt you."
Hermione clutched his robe, burying herself in his warmth, unable to let go of him.
In that instant, she no longer wanted to let him go. Between life and death, nothing else mattered.
She could not care less about anything else. She could not care less that they had been quarrelling only moments before.
Regardless of whether he liked her or thought of her as a little sister, at least for now, she wanted to be held tightly in his arms. She wanted him to keep stroking her, without stopping.
This was a terrible idea, but she felt powerless to change it.
"Hermione, I think we need to get back to the castle quickly. Werewolves may still be roaming the Forbidden Forest; it is not safe here."
Draco said softly, his eyes filled with deep worry, as she sobbed slightly.
"You are right. And Harry and the others, we must find them." She sniffed and nuzzled his neck reluctantly.
Draco did not want to let her go. Her hair smelled so good. She nestled affectionately in his arms, almost as if she had lodged herself in his heart.
He had almost lost her. She had almost been hurt.
That had been close.
He could not let her be hurt. He steeled himself, secretly kissed her hair, and hardened his heart, saying, "Let us go quickly, before the werewolf finds us again."
"Mmm," Hermione agreed, sounding somewhat forlorn.
She reluctantly released her hold, allowing him to get up and go to the nearby grass to find his wand.
He quickly returned with his hawthorn wand.
He held out his hand to her. "Can you stand? We should go."
With his help, Hermione stumbled to her feet.
Her legs were still a little weak, and she could barely walk. Although she did not want to admit it, she was actually still somewhat afraid of the dark corners all around her.
The bushes swaying slightly in the wind looked as if a werewolf might leap out at any moment.
"Are you still frightened?" Draco asked.
Hermione bit her lip as she looked at him, her arms trembling, unwilling to admit it.
She did not want to appear weak and vulnerable in front of him.
Hermione Granger, so proud. Even with tears still wet on her face, she could not admit she had ever been afraid.
Draco sighed softly to himself.
"Hold onto me, will you? The ground is all uneven, I am worried I might slip and fall." He put his arm around her shoulder and helped her walk.
Hermione had no reason to refuse. He was walking perfectly well; she was the one who was frightened, she was the one who might fall.
But he was extremely cunning. He said nothing at all about helping her; he simply asked, in words, for her help.
He let her feel at ease about being protected by him, under the guise of "helping him."
He even said understandingly, "That is much better now, thank you."
How could she refuse?
Hermione was utterly bewildered as she walked leaning against him.
"What happened, Hermione?" Draco began asking questions, trying to distract the bewildered girl and stop her dwelling on events, or on the bushes around them.
"We... we found Peter Pettigrew in his rat form at Hagrid's hut, and Harry chased after him... then a great black dog... that was Sirius Black... darted in through the hole beneath the Whomping Willow, seized the rat, and took him to the Shrieking Shack... he said Peter Pettigrew must have some ulterior motive, and he wanted to force him to tell us... but it was a full moon, and Professor Lupin must have forgotten to take his Potion! He turned into a werewolf, and Peter Pettigrew escaped in the chaos... Sirius Black, in his great black dog form, fought the werewolf but was overpowered... then Professor Snape arrived, and was soon overpowered as well... Harry and Ron ran down the slope, and I was separated from them... just as you saw, I was caught by the werewolf." Hermione recounted everything that had happened that night, haltingly.
"Merlin's beard..." Draco was somewhat shocked as he listened to what she told him about the night's events.
He patted her on the shoulder, then suddenly remembered something. "Has Peter Pettigrew been hiding in the Shrieking Shack this whole time?"
"Yes, I suppose so," Hermione said, gazing at the desolate grounds before her.