Draco risked a glance up at Hermione.
She looked positively furious. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously, radiating with anger, her cheeks were flushed, and Draco wouldn't have been surprised to see fumes going out of her nostrils.
'Now I know why Potter and Weasley behaved when she was around. She's even scarier than McGonagall.'
Draco gulped quietly and steeled himself against Hermione's fiery stare.
"Say your damn thanks and be done with it!" he said under his breath.
"Thank you." Hermione said curtly.
"You're welcome." he retorted in the same tone, shoving the Draught of Peace vial in her hands. "Take this first, give it a minute, then take the other one."
Hermione nodded and did as he instructed. She almost said thank you again but quickly swallowed her words along with the potions. Meanwhile, Draco busied himself with the rest of the vials, uncorking them to give them a sniff, then sealing them again.
"Take this before you go to bed tonight. It's a dreamless potion." he said, answering Hermione's questioning look. "I'm sure you would want to avoid another experience like the one from two nights ago."
Hermione nodded again and took the small vial from his hand. Their fingers brushed against each other for the briefest of moments, making them both flinch, then as if following the same signal, they both leaned back away from each other.
"Y-yes indeed. My cat might not appreciate another one of your stunning spells. You already are his worst enemy at the moment." Hermione said breathlessly, trying to sound natural but looking evidently flustered.
Before he could stop himself, Draco snorted. For some reason, that made Hermione smile. She opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, closed it, then opened it again.
"Thank you for the potion." she said softly, spinning the small vial between her fingers. "I finished mine two nights ago."
"Two nights ago?" Draco asked confusedly. "But then, how come you had a nightmare if you took the potion?"
"I did take a Dreamless Potion that night.'' She started slowly, then continued in a more confident voice. "Two nights ago I took my regular dose but the alcohol… it nullified its effect. That's why I had a nightmare. I knew that would happen, but that day had not been an easy one for me. Hence, the drinking in the bar and all the adventure that came with it."
Hermione finished with a strained smile, one that Draco did not return, though. Instead, he looked at her in disbelief. He didn't know why exactly she had confessed to him; he just knew it was a sign of trust.
That's what his instinct was telling him, and he was inclined to believe it. The feelings and emotions that were born from that idea nagged at his mind, making him feel very confused. He absentmindedly brushed a hand through his hair.
His gesture made Hermione overly conscious of her own unkempt hair. She quickly raised her arms and pulled at her unruly curls, using her fingers to try and untangle them.
"Do Potter and Weasley know?" Draco asked suddenly, making Hermione jump.
"Know what?" she asked, unsure of what Draco meant with his question.
"Do they know about your nightmares?" he asked, avoiding making eye contact with Hermione.
"Harry knows." Hermione replied simply, staring at a spot right above Draco's left shoulder. "Ron suspects I think, but I've never confirmed it , nor did he ask me openly. I guess he has them too, just like me and Harry do, though he never said anything to us about it. He chose a different way to deal with it."
Hermione stopped for a moment, then continued, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Ron said he wanted to deal with creatures that are scarier than his dreams. That way, he'll never be terrified of falling asleep, but rather of waking up."
Draco gave out a strange sound, something between a snort and choke.
"That's awfully intelligent and mature, coming from the Weasel." Draco said, clearing his throat and managing a small smirk.
Hermione chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, Harry and I thought the same thing the first time we heard him say that. To be honest, we didn't think he would actually go through with it. Working with creatures such as dragons was something we never thought him capable of. I am glad he did it though." Hermione said with a soft smile. "Anything is better than to let the darkness of your mind take hold of you."
Draco hesitated for a moment. He wanted to ask her but didn't know if he should. He had been curious about it ever since his mother told him about Hermione and how she was going to be his counselor or sober companion, or whatever Narcissa had called her then.
Draco took a deep breath.
"Why did you choose this job?" he finally asked in a quiet voice, fixing his grey eyes questioningly on her brown ones. "You could have been anything. You're a war heroine after all. This status alone would have allowed you to choose any job you wanted. You are smart so you would have done well in any field, so… What made you choose this?"
Hermione regarded him for a few moments before replying.
There was something about that question and the way he had asked, that made Hermione frown in concentration. Others have asked her that in the years after the war, but neither one of them sounded like Draco just now. He sounded genuinely interested, as if her answer might help him find something for himself. She instinctively felt the urge to answer him honestly.
"I thought that if I helped other people get back to their lives, I would be able to pull myself together as well. After things calmed down, I felt like I was made of puzzle pieces that needed to be found and put back in their right place. Helping people did that for me. Each person I managed to help was like a small puzzle piece that found its place, making me one step closer to being whole again."
"And how is that working for you?" Draco asked, not entirely able to keep the tinge of irony from his tone.
"Not well enough, it would seem." Hermione sighed. "I found myself facing difficult cases, some even impossible. We'll just have to see how your case works out, though, before I declare it a failure or a success." she finished with a small smile.