Chapter Text
Draco tracked the bushy hair as it moved slowly through the crowded platform. He’d never seen Granger move so slowly. His brow furrowed as he watched her, wondering what on earth could make her so slow.
The crowd parted slightly as she neared the train, and Draco spotted the messy black hair of Potter. Draco scoffed to himself, of course Potter was involved; there wasn’t anyone else who could make Granger do anything. He watched them move, oh so slowly, towards the train.
Why are they walking so slowly? It wasn’t like them to dawdle. He got his answer as they paused at the steps to the train. Granger looked around, before flicking her wand and levitating Potter out of sight, presumably onto the train, before hurrying up he steps herself. Their trunks lifted back into the air and drifted out of sight after them.
Was Potter hurt? Would now be a bad time to approach them? He looked at Blaise, who had pulled out a book, and made a decision.
“Come on then,” Blaise looked up at his sudden announcement as he moved towards the door, “We’re going to talk to Potter and Granger.” Blaise’ eyes widened slightly, as if he thought he’d chicken out, but he stood hurriedly and followed him to the door.
Draco peered into the corridor, he could see them walking towards them, looking into each compartment as they went. Draco smiled slightly, he knew that all the compartments before this one were full; they would have to pass their compartment.
As they walked by, Draco gripped Granger's elbow and pulled her, and by extension Potter, into the compartment with them.
Granger let out a sharp shriek, but it was over powered by the cry of pain that left Potter. Granger grabbed onto his arm and forced him into a seat, Draco tried to ignore the way he hunched over, not wanting sympathy to affect this conversation. Granger spun around, glaring at them, wand already pointed right between Draco’s eyes.
“What the hell do you want?” Draco mentally berated himself at the way he stepped back from her. Though, Blaise doing the same definitely made him feel better about it. “I do not have time for this Malfoy!” Potter groaned.
Granger spun around again, dropping her wand and falling to her knees and dragging her bag towards her. Whipping it open she pulled a box of potions out.
“It’s okay Harry, tell me where it hurts, you’re okay.” Her voice was back to being soft and gentle, leaving Draco and Blaise to stand against the wall in shock.
“C-chest…hurts…breathe” Draco had never heard Potter sound so in pain before. He saw Granger take a deep breath, her eyes wet.
“Do you know if they’re broken?” He was impressed that her voice didn’t waver at all. Potter shook his head, the slightest movement.
“Just…c-cracked…I think” Granger nodded, hands moving to the box. She pulled out a green potion that Draco recognised as a pain numbing solution. Why on earth does she have healing potions in her bag?
“Here.” She forced Potter’s head up, tipping it back and pouring the potion into his mouth. He made a pained noise, but he drank it. There was no grimace, or indication that it tasted bad, and Draco knew that it did.
Even with the potion, when she started running her wand along his ribs he yelled in pain. Quickly, Draco drew his wand and cast a privacy charm on the compartment; nobody needed to see this. He doubted Potter would be happy when he discovered that two Slytherin's had been present to see it.
Granger threw him a look. “Thank you.” He nodded shakily. It was the least he could do, and he needed them to trust him, or at least hear him out.
“Harry, you need to tell me if there was anything else wrong.” Her voice had an odd, mothering lilt to it Draco noticed, like she was talking to her own child. Though, he supposed, if anyone were going to feel maternal over Potter it would be Granger.
Potter shuddered, shaking his head “D-don’t think so.” Granger nodded, relief clear on her face, and put everything back into her bag with a flick of her wand.
Draco didn’t want to admit it, but he was impressed by the display of silent casting. He shared a look with Blaise, seeing the same look in his eyes that he knew was in his.
He took a breath, “Is he okay?” He hated that his voice sounded unsure, weak.
Granger glanced at him, her eyes returning to Potter after a moment. “He should be fine, I stabilised his ribs, they should be healed by the time we get to Hogsmeade, but he’ll probably sleep for about half an hour.” She sat back on her heels, so she was sitting on the floor instead of leaning over Potter. “What do you want Malfoy?” He didn’t think he’d ever heard her voice sound so flat.
He looked at Blaise, who nodded, he was still on board with the plan.
“I, we wanted to talk to Potter,” He took a breath, “about the war.” He ignored the way her face tilted towards him, her eyes going sharp.
She stared at him, then at Blaise, before finally shifting her gaze back to Potter. “You’ll have to wait until he wakes up.”
Draco took another breath, nodding his head, “Of course.” He was relieved; they were going to listen to him. She would ensure that. “Where’s Weasley?”
“He won’t get here until just before the train leaves, Harry and I weren’t with the Weasley’s this year.” Something in her voice makes him think that she regrets that. “Thank you, for the privacy charm.” Her voice was curt, as though she had to force herself to say the words. He didn’t blame her, he knew how that felt.
“You’re welcome, he doesn’t need anyone seeing him like that.” He’d noticed, over the last year or so, that Potter had a habit of acting tougher in public than he did when he thought no one was looking. Not that he blamed him, with all the pressure people put on him he wouldn’t want to show weakness in public either.
Granger nodded, her hair shifting away from her cheek and showing a sliver of bruised skin. Draco frowned, his mind sharpening on the fact that Granger was hurt as well.
“You’re hurt.” It came out more accusing than he meant it to. Blaise snapped his gaze to the girl on the floor, his eyes tracing her trying to find the injury.
Granger looked at him, her lips tugging down into a frown. “I’m fine.” He could see her face now, her right cheek darkening into an impressive bruise. He winced, it looked like it hurt. “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
He believed her about that.
“What happened?” She shook her head.
“I can’t tell you that.” He looked at her, then at Potter, slumped in his seat. Recovering from cracked ribs.
He took a deep breath, “Alright.” He felt like he’d been breathing more in the last 15 minutes than he had all summer. He glanced at Blaise, should he try and speak to Granger first? She’s usually the most reasonable, and with what’s just happened she won’t stop them leaving if it goes bad.
“Granger…” He hesitated, drawing his courage together, “If we don’t want to join Voldemort, will he help us?” Her eyes drilled into him, he felt like she could see into his head. Though he knew she couldn’t, his occlumency shields were impeccable.
She seemed to find what she was looking for, because she looked back at Potter. She ran her hands through his hair, tidying it a little bit, but mostly ensuring that it covered his scar. “If you mean it, he will.”
Suddenly, as though she’d taken a pepper up potion when they weren’t looking, she surged off the floor. “You need to leave, I appreciate the privacy charm, and so will Harry once I tell him who cast it, but you can’t be here when Ron gets here.” She paused, “Or when Harry wakes up, he’s been through a lot today and he needs the train ride to himself.”
He looked at her, nodding slowly. That made sense, Weasley would explode if he found his best friends unconscious and bruised, respectively, in the presence of Slytherin's. And Merlin knows he wouldn’t want to recuperate from injuries with an audience.
He looked at Blaise, who nodded again, “We’ll make ourselves scarce then, but please…” He stopped, not wanting to beg.
“I will speak with them Malfoy, you have my word about that.” He nodded, he had no reason not to trust her.
He flicked his wand, dropping the privacy charm, gripped Blaise’ arm and pulled him out of the compartment. Blaise drew his wand and levitated their trunks out after them, Draco threw him a grateful look, and into an empty compartment further along the corridor.