First sight

Ugh, why in Merlin's saggy beard was he back here? Why did he willingly submit himself to this torture? He hadn't been forced to go back. But when his parents just assumed that he wasn't going back, the old rebellious side of him resurfaced and he admitted himself to yet another year of torment. Yet another year at Hogwarts. Well, at least it would be his final one. At least there was that.

Actually, nothing else but that thought kept him going. He didn't really have a lot of friends anymore. Apparently he was considered a traitor to most of his House. After Crabbe's death, Goyle had avoided him like the plague. To Goyle he was a bad luck charm. Even Pancy Parkinson had left him, that cow. He almost missed her brainless chatter. But only almost. The only person who really stayed faithful to him was Blaise.

But as of now Blaise wasn't with him. Blaise wasn't taking Advanced Potions. He was practically the only Slytherin who wasn't taking that subject; every other Slytherin from their year was gathered in the small class room. Though school started almost a month ago, the Slytherins were still able to look hatefully at him and talk crudely about him behind his back. But he let it go. He didn't need any of them.

There was one person, though, in the dungeon, who wasn't giving him the mean eye or talking trash about him. Of course, being the only Gryffindor present she didn't really have a whole lot of people to talk to, but still. It was comforting to know that somebody wasn't hating him. At least not out in the open. Who knew what was brewing under that pretty surface. He knew very well that he wasn't Hermione Granger's favourite person. But once in a while he thought he detected a sad little glance in his direction.

That almost annoyed him more than all the bullshit his House mates could say about him or do to him. He didn't need pity. From anyone. Least of all Hermione Granger, the ever present pebble in his shoe. When he thought he'd gotten it out – boom! – there it was again, back to annoy him! Yeah, she might have been there to help save his life, but so what? That didn't mean that he owed her anything. And it certainly didn't mean that she was free to feel sorry for him!

Wrapped up in his own thoughts Draco paid little attention to the work in front of him. He didn't notice how his potion started bubbling. He didn't notice that he was stirring counter clockwise when he should have been stirring clockwise. And he didn't notice the blast before the brew hit his face and his skin started burning. Then he blacked out.

"Malfoy!" A voice from far off called out to him. He couldn't see anything. Everything was dark. Impenetrable dark. He tried to look at his hands, but he couldn't even feel if he was moving. He didn't know if his eyes were open or closed. He felt nothing.

"Malfoy!" The voice called again, more desperately this time. He tried to move towards the sound but nothing seemed to happen. It was still dark. He was still lost. He tried a new approach.

"I'm here!" He called with out with silently, praying that the voice would hear him. Instantly a little light went on in the distance. He wanted to run to it, but he was still immobile. He didn't even know if he existed at all. Was he even alive?

"Malfoy, where are you?"

"Here, I'm here!" He didn't know where here was. He didn't know were anything was. But as he answered the light came closer.

"Over here!" He called out to the beacon and it came even closer. Slowly he began to see a shape in the light. He strained his eyes and found that he knew the shape. Quite well, actually. The bushy hair, the petit frame, the round hips. Great, his rescuer was Granger.

"Granger?" He asked silently, hoping to be proved wrong, for once in his life. That didn't happen.

"Shh!" Suddenly she was right in front of him, her face hovering above him. He was lying down, he figured. She reached out to him. He tried to turn away, to avoid the touch he knew was coming. But he still couldn't move.

"Just lie still," she pleaded patiently. Then her fingers suddenly touched his cheek. Everything around him erupted into a bright, yellow light. It seeped through every fibre of his being, before finally breaking through his skin, seeping out through his pores. He felt himself get tucked forward and suddenly he was looking down at himself.

He was a mess. That was for sure. His face was red and blistered and his eyes were closed together as if in extreme pain. Pain he didn't even know he was feeling. He moved his hand, but it wasn't really his hand. It was Hermione's. The hand that was caressing his face gently.

'Poor guy,' he thought. But it wasn't his thought. It was Hermione's. 'He might not be the nicest guy in the world but he didn't deserve this.' She ran her thumb along his jaw and Draco shuddered. Or was it Hermione? Somehow he couldn't tell them apart.

'If only people understood him. If only they knew him. He's so misunderstood. So alone. And so brave. If only he didn't have to be alone. If only there was something I could do for him. But he doesn't want my help. There's nothing I can do for him. He's so strong but nobody can go through life alone. I wish he'd let me help him. If he wasn't that damn stubborn we might even be friends.'

Draco was stunned by her thoughts of him. Didn't she hate him? Wasn't she going to rant about how big an arse he was? Or how stupid he was for not paying attention to his work? Or how arrogant and annoying he was. Where were all the normal cuss words she usually used about him? What was going on here?

"Malfoy," her soft voice beckoned. "Malfoy, come back. You have to come back now. You've been far away but now it's time to wake up. Come back."

And then he opened his eyes.

And stared right into Hermione's. She was crouched down next to him, fingers running along his jaw, soothingly and gently. He blinked, trying to separate dream and reality.

"Welcome back," she whispered gently, with a little smile. He felt his heart clench, remembering what he had felt her think of him. But then his wall returned. The wall he'd built to keep all unwanted thoughts and feelings out. He flinched and scooted away from her. As soon as her touch disappeared from his face he felt the sting of his burn. It hurt like one in Hell. Apparently she must have used some sort of healing magic to take away the pain. But he didn't care. He didn't want her help. He didn't need her pity. But he did feel a little bad about the hurt that flickered across her face.

"You need to go to the Hospital Wing," she said almost coldly. Great, he'd hurt her feelings. Bu-hu. Well, normally he wouldn't have minded. Normally he'd be a little proud. But… well, she had just saved him, hadn't she?

He opened his mouth to say something to her, he didn't exactly know what, but she shook her head.

"Don't talk," she said even more distanced than before. "Professor Slughorn will take you there."

With that she left him. And then he slid back into unconsciousness.

Uh, so here I go starting YET another story when I still haven't finished 'We're Stuck, You and I'. I'm so bad. But I just couldn't control myself. I had to write this. Hopefully you don't hate me too much…

Well, when all's said and done I still need reviews! Many of them... And I know you'll help me because you're the best readers and reviewers there ever was!