Hermione tried to tear her face away and Astoria withdrew her wand momentarily to immobilise Hermione with a quick hex, freezing Hermione in place before stabbing her wand roughly into the side of Hermione's eye again.
The pain in Hermione's eye was increasing, she could feel that her eyeball was on the verge of being pulled from her socket. Her whole body was shaking and she couldn't move.
The sound of her panicked breathing cut through the surreal realisation that Astoria Malfoy's face might be the last thing she ever saw. She heard her own strangled scream as she felt something in her eye give and her vision become one sided.
Suddenly there was a cracking sound in the distance so abrupt that the Manor trembled. Astoria jerked with surprise but didn't stop.
"Expelliarmus!" Malfoy snarled as he appeared from thin air.
The wand digging into Hermione's eye vanished and Astoria was flung across the room and struck the wall with a sickening crunch before falling to the floor.
Hermione remained frozen in place with open eyes, sobbing hysterically and immobilised where Astoria had left her.
Malfoy swept in front of Hermione, countering the immobilisation hex. Hermione dropped to the floor. Malfoy knelt down in front of her and tilted her face up toward his. His face was pale, frozen and his expression grew horrified when he saw her face.
He cast a diagnostic spell on her. After a minute he swallowed and took several deep breaths as though he were trying to steady himself.
"You eye is half pulled out of the socket and you have a deep puncture in the white," he said at last. "What are the spells to fix it?"
Hermione stared at him dazedly. Crying. Her face was twisted as she shook against his hand and felt her tears collecting against his fingers. She could see him through one eye but there was just a dark blur on her left side.
She couldn't stop crying and shuddering as she stared up at Malfoy.
She knew she should know the answer to his question but she couldn't remember. She could just feel the spot where Astoria's wand had punctured her eye.
She couldn't see...
Malfoy inhaled sharply and his expression hardened as he stared at her more intently.
"I need you to calm down so you can tell me how to fix it," Malfoy said. The command was heavy in his tone.
Hermione choked down a sob and tried to breathe. She wanted to close her eyes but she couldn't, because Astoria had tried to pull one of them out.
She gasped raggedly several times trying to compose herself. Then she made herself look down at the diagnostic reading still visible on Malfoy's wand.
She was a healer. Someone had an injured eye. She needed to work efficiently if she wanted to try to preserve their sight.
"For a punctured sclera," she said in a wobbling voice, casting her mind back trying to recall as she analyzed the reading. Malfoy had performed a detailed diagnostic on her and she could see that the damage was extensive. "
Malfoy repeated the inflection and rhythm and she gave a short nod. He proceeded to perform it on her eye. She whimpered quietly as she felt it puncture begin to repair itself.
"And then — for a — a luxated left eye," she said in a voice that was calmer than she felt. "It's
She cautiously, half-blindly reached toward Malfoy's left hand and, when he didn't jerk away from her, she closed her fingers over his and demonstrated the delicate spiraling motion.
"Don't do it too quickly or you'll over retract," she added.
Malfoy nodded.
Hermione felt her eye slide back into place in her head. The dark blur was slightly brighter but it still was like staring through a heavily fogged window.
Malfoy cast a new diagnostic.
"H-how much can you see?" he asked tilting her face up toward his again, his fingertips pressing lightly along her jaw.
She looked up at him and covered her right eye with her hand. His face was only a few inches away from hers.
"You're blond. I think — I can tell that you're blond and if I try I can make out your eyes and mouth a little—" Her voice cut off in a whimper and she choked as she started crying again. Her hand slid away from her right eye and she clamped it over her mouth as she fought not to sob.
"What else do I need to do? How do I fix it?" he asked.
"Dittany," she said. "Essence of Dittany, might be able to repair the rest of the damage. But it's rare. It might be hard to obtain — in time."
"Topsy!"
The elf instantly appeared.
"Bring me Essence of Dittany."
The house-elf vanished again.
Malfoy's hands remained on her face until her sobs eased again and then he slowly drew them away.
"Wait here. I need to deal with Astoria now," Malfoy said.