Hermione woke up with the feeling of hands grabbing her and fingers pinching her arse. A phantom hand ghosted over her chest and under the safety of the covers, her own hand moved to her chest to chase it away. She struggled to breathe as she kept her eyes firmly closed, terrified that if she opened them, someone would be looming over her.

The bed shifted and Hermione sucked in a breath. Her body tensed up and she turned her head to the side, squeezing her eyes closed even tighter.

"Hermione," a voice said softly.

Hermione's breath hitched and she opened her eyes slowly to see Draco leaning over her. He was seated on the edge of her bed and had his arms on either side of her. He stared down at her worriedly and Hermione brought a hand up to her mouth to muffle a choked back sob.

"I'm sorry," she choked out, closing her eyes again. "I can feel them all and I know it's okay now, but I just—I can feel—"

She broke off as her chest heaved and she let out a small sob.

"I know," Draco murmured. She felt his hand gently brush across her face and her shoulders shook again. "Tell me what to do."

Hermione cracked open her eyes to see him staring at her helplessly. Recalling the way she'd felt when he'd first pulled her into his arms and how his scent had calmed her almost instantly, she reached one hand out to him. He understood and shifted on the bed so he could lay down with her. The bed was small and he was not, but after lots of shifting around and adjusting on both ends, they settled down comfortably. Draco laid on top of her almost like a blanket and Hermione clung to him tightly. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders while his went around her waist and she buried her face in his neck.

"Is this what you wanted?" Draco asked softly. Hermione panicked for a moment, fearing she'd made him uncomfortable and prepared to pull away.

"I'm sorry," she said again, pulling her arms from around his shoulders. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I just—"

"I'm not uncomfortable, Hermione," he interrupted gently. He pulled his head back so he could look at her. "I just want to know how to help."

He laid his head back down and Hermione returned to her previous position, arms around his shoulders and her face buried in his neck. She focused on breathing and not on the fading sensation of being pinched. Instead of drowning in the memory of Rookwood and Mulciber in the shower, she let herself be surrounded by Draco's scent.

"I'm sorry," Draco breathed, tightening his arms around her. Hermione frowned, wondering what he was apologising for when she'd been the one to wake him. "I shouldn't have let you go. I knew it was risky and then I left you there. I could have gotten there sooner."

"No," Hermione argued weakly. That wasn't true. "You didn't know. It's not your fault, Draco."

"Well it sure isn't yours," Draco said firmly and Hermione squeezed her eyes closed. "Whose is it then, Hermione?"

"It wasn't anyone's," Hermione insisted. "It was a risk we both knew was there. Sometimes risks aren't just risks, but things that happen."

"Fuck that," Draco replied, his voice cracking. Hermione's eyes opened and she craned her head back to look at Draco, but he kept his face well hidden as he sniffled.

"Draco?" she asked. She pulled one of her hands away from his shoulders to brush back his hair and his eyes opened. Even though it was dark, she could see tears glistening in the corners of his eyes and she frowned. "What is it?" she asked.

"I can't stop thinking about it," he whispered. He pressed his forehead to the side of her head and breathed deeply. "I went to all the revels, Hermione, I know how they can get and I'm fucking terrified that I left you there at their mercy because they don't know what mercy is. I know I didn't leave you there, but I brought you there and to me, that's just as bad."

Hermione hugged him tightly, one hand on the back of his head and the other still around his shoulders. When they'd crossed the point in their relationship where Hermione felt comfortable lying like this with Draco, she swore she'd never be able to pin down. Still, it felt right to have Draco wrapped around her after a nightmare and she wondered if this would be a one time thing or not.

"Rookwood was the only one who touched me," she whispered. Draco's breath hitched and her fingers twitched in his hair, but she continued. "He didn't get very far though. And there were two boys, younger Death Eaters who walked me from my cell to where I met Mulciber, that pinched my arse."

"You have marks on your neck," Draco reminded her. His hand moved so his fingers could gently brush across the marks on her throat.

"I upset Rookwood," she explained. Draco's head moved and she turned hers to face him. "He tried to choke me, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the crucio."

Draco's hand by her neck stiffened and he narrowed his eyes at her, clearly not thrilled with how she'd tried to make a joke. Hermione smoothed back his hair and he relaxed against her. Without having to move hardly at all, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her neck. Hermione stilled.

"Draco?" she asked softly. He hummed, burying his face in her neck. "What are you doing?"

There was a pause, then Draco said quietly, "I'm hugging you."

Hermione felt a smile creep onto her face and she almost would have laughed if he hadn't pressed another feather light kiss to her neck.

"No, that," she said, shifting slightly at the ticklish sensation.

"Oh," Draco said. He didn't reply immediately. "I can stop if you want."

Hermione did not want that, but she also didn't want to outright say so. Instead, she just shook her head and moved closer to him. He smiled against her neck and tucked his nose right under her chin.

"What do you—"

Hermione was cut off as Draco's lips covered half of hers. Not having expected him to kiss her neck again, she had turned to face him only for his lips to meet hers instead of her jaw. She swallowed her own breath and Draco pulled away sharply, seeming just as surprised as she was.

"I'm sorry!" they both said hastily. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment and Draco looked away. The room was silent for a split second as neither one of them said a word.

"I didn't mean to kiss you," Draco told her. She cracked her eyelids open to see him staring down at her. His eyes flickered to her lips and she found herself holding her breath. "Well, not there, anyway. I figured now might not be the best time, so I—"

"I don't mind," Hermione interrupted. Draco paused and Hermione felt her cheeks heat up, suddenly thankful for the darkness of the room. "For Merlin's sake, Draco, we're already cuddled into one person—"

"We're not cuddling," Draco grumbled in protest.

"—the least of my problems is you kissing me," Hermione finished. Her fingers tangled in his hair and she smiled slightly. "Besides, it's not like I haven't been kissed before."

"You don't—Merlin, Granger, who the fuck have you kissed?" Draco asked. Hermione laughed. "In case you aren't aware, generally when you're cuddling with someone you don't mention other people you've kissed."

"Oh, so we are cuddling?" Hermione asked teasingly. Draco glared at her and Hermione laughed again, tugging on his hair lightly. "Just kiss me, Draco," she told him with a laugh.

Draco shifted over her and a second later, his lips dropped down to hers. Hermione pulled her hand from his shoulder so she could cup his face and smiled at the weight of him on top of her. One of his knees went between her legs to hold his weight and his arms dropped on either side of her, caging her in but not trapping her. His tongue pressed against her lips and without protest, she opened her mouth for him.

He kissed her until she couldn't breathe and when she was finally gasping for air, he pulled away to pepper kisses across her jaw and cheek. She'd barely started breathing again before his lips were back on hers and the sensation of being so entirely surrounded by him made her almost happy enough to cry. One of her legs moved to lock around his in a dull effort to keep him from moving away from her. How she'd ever gone without him so close, she couldn't be sure. She was certain, however, that she would never let it happen again.

"Don't go," she murmured against his lips. Draco pressed his lips firmly against hers and she held him tighter.

He stopped kissing her just long enough to promise, "I won't."

Draco shifted again, though this time it was away from her and she clung to him desperately. He shifted his hips and rolled so only his upper body was against her and she frowned.

"What are you doing?" she asked, worried he'd leave the room even as he made no motion to stand up.

"Nothing," he murmured in reply. He kissed the edge of her lips and told her, "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Hermione curled closer to him and as she moved to wrap her ankle around his, her thigh hit something hard. Her eyes widened as she realised why Draco had been shifting his lower body away from her, but he leaned forward and kissed her shortly before she could say anything. She wasn't a stranger to boners, but for some reason, she had not expected to encounter one right then.

"Do—"

"Just ignore it," Draco interrupted.

He hugged her to his chest and tucked her head under his chin. She huffed as she realised he was done kissing her, but he was warm and smelled good, so she couldn't stay mad for long. As he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, she locked her ankle around his and wrapped her arms back around his shoulders to keep him from moving.

"Go back to sleep, Hermione," he told her gently. Hermione closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, but she doubted she'd fall asleep anytime soon. Neither of them said a word, though, and when Hermione heard Draco's breath even out and his arms loosened around her, she felt herself start to drift off to sleep as well, her dreams filled with Draco kissing her instead of Rookwood leering at her.