"This isn't you. I know who you are, Draco." His eyes flickered, the black fire wavering. "Look at me."

A held breath — and the fire vanished. Draco flinched violently, like she'd slapped him. A gasping breath crashed into his lungs, and he stumbled backward until his back slammed into the stone. His eyes were wide and horrified before he covered them with his hands, sinking to the ground and curling in on himself.

"It's okay," she said, her voice shaky. "You're okay. Three minutes. Count in your head."

She snatched his wand and set a timer on it, her fingers clutching the handle tightly as she slowly backed to her side of the table.

Draco breathed harshly, eyes still closed, his breath rattling on the exhale. He was shivering, his face ashen, and his collar drenched with sweat. After a second of debate, Hermione inched closer and cast a quick diagnostic over him. Orange and maroon throughout his chest, but a disturbing deep green across his hips and thighs. Bright spots of red fired through his brain. Pomfrey would have already sent him to St. Mungo's based on his temperature and hydration levels.

She checked the timer on the wand, trying to focus amidst the panic in her chest. Two more minutes.

The potion was thickening like it should. The color dissolving from midnight blue to sky blue, which would then move to a clear—

A vicious thump sounded from her right, and she spun to find Draco crumpled on the floor.

Her legs raced to him before she could remember—

She stumbled back, filled a vial with the antidote, and ran to him, praying it was ready.

His eyes were fluttering under their lids, his fingers twitching. She grabbed a handful of fabric from her dress and used it as a barrier between their skin as she pried open his jaw and poured the potion into his mouth.

He coughed. It sprayed up and onto her face.

She screamed for another vial, and the magic shot through her fingers. A second later, a full vial was in her hand.

He was shaking, his eyes rolling back in his head.

"Draco!" She kneeled on his chest to keep him still, grabbed his jaw, and poured the potion into his mouth, covering his lips with her palm to force him to swallow. She watched his throat bob, his body shuddering beneath her.

She looked up at the diagnostic spell still hovering overhead. His temperature was dropping rapidly, returning to normal. She hadn't expected the potion to work so quickly—

A moan from below her. And she looked down just as Draco covered his hand with hers and held her skin to his lips, kissing and sucking at her wrist. His other was on her knee, sliding up, up, up.

Relief washed over her as she checked the scan, her arm yielding to his demanding mouth. The dark green had replaced the angry orange and red. But she couldn't tell if this was the antidote working or the contact with her skin—