Disclaimer: I do not own the characters…

A/N: Ok this is aft HBP…seventh year, to be exact…something that came to my mind while I remembered a conversation I had with my cousin…something different, sort of…enjoy! Putting up 3 chapters first and will see if it is well received. The more reviews the better.

Stumble

Hermione Granger, Head Girl, was patrolling her allocated area with head boy, Sedgewick Blythe from Ravenclaw, that night. It has been a half a year since school began and things were, different. Without the presence of Dumbledore, there seemed to be a lack in the usual brightness and happiness Hogwarts held for the students and staff. Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress, tried her best to lighten the mood, but to no avail. Dumbledore's absence affected everyone. Everyone except the Slytherins – most of them. Most of them were 'ok' with his departure, considering how they didn't really like him, but those who respected him felt the great loss of his death. Hermione, for one, was very saddened by the fact that there would be no more Dumbledore having something up his sleeve. There would be no more Dumbledore to discipline them. In conclusion, there would be no more Dumbledore to do anything to the school. Hermione shook her head to relieve herself of the painful thought, wiping a single tear from her cheek. It was halfway through her seventh year already, months after Dumbledore has left, but Hermione could not help but feel empty without him. Life truly was different without their former Headmaster. Hermione really missed him, and she felt angry that Snape - someone who Dumbledore had trusted - betrayed him and ended his life just with two words. Abada Kedavra. Hermione hated it. Sedgewick felt her pain too. He too was very fond of Dumbledore and had felt a huge loss when Dumbledore was brought down by their former Potions Master.

They walked past the Great Hall in silence, 'Dumbledore…' her heart cried. Another tear fell, remembering his loud voice addressing the students of Hogwarts. She continued to cry silently, wand in hand and on high alert. She walked past the Entrance Hall, just in time to hear someone knocking, though very weakly, the huge doors of Hogwarts. She didn't know who it was and was afraid of the possibilities. She was thinking of leaving the Entrance hall and pretended that nothing had happened, but her logical side told her better. She wiped away her tears and cleared her vision. Pushing all emotions aside, she braced herself and walked towards the door, wand at the ready. She stopped when she heard the knocking again, this time accompanied by a soft cry for help. Barely audible was the cry, but being so close to the door, Hermione was able to hear it.

"Did you hear that?" Hermione asked, slightly afraid. Sedgewick had his wand up and pointed to the door.

"Yeah, who do you reckon it is?"

"Not too-" Another knock on the door came and a more desperate call for help came from the door cam again, stopping Hermione from continuing.

Now she really panicked. Who was out there? Was it Harry? Ron? What would a student – the immediate thought that came to her mind – be doing out in the middle of the night? She froze.

"We should open the door, right?" Hermione asked with uncertainty.

"Right."

But both were afraid of what would be behind the massive doors of the Entrance Hall. What if it was a trick? Her mind whirling. Being as clever as she is and having braved so many things, she was somehow pushed to fear by knocking and a cry for help. They stood there, wands out, and stared at the door and neither did anything. Sedgewick was the first to speak.

"We''ll open the door, and you keep your wand up ready to stupefy the person if he chooses to attack," Sedgewick suggested.

"Alright, I guess," Hermione agreed. She gripped her wand tighter as Sedgewick used magic to unlock the door. Herione stood by his side, ready to stupefy the visitor is he chose to attack. Sedgewick magicked the door open and a cold wind blew into the Entrance Hall together with the downpour of the rain outside. Along with the rain and wind was a black hooded figure, stumbling into the Entrance Hall and falling by Hermione's feet. He appeared so weak, too weak to hold himself up even.

Instinctively, Hermione knelt by the fallen one's side and helped to turn him over so that he was on his back. Upon doing so, the hood fell to reveal the battered, bloodied face of their visitor with his blood-matted hair. Sedgewick closed and locked the door before kneeling beside Hermione to see the fallen one. He was covered with blood and his clothes were ripped. He was falling into unconsciousness and his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. Hermione gasped, shocked and the condition the boy, or man, was in.

"Oh dear Lord. We have to get him to the Hospital Wing at once," Hermione said, levitating the fallen one and leading him to the Hospital Wing, Sedgewick following on the other side of him. As they were walking up the stairs, the fallen one grabbed her hand with strength that didn't seem fit with his current condition and turned his head to face her. Shocked, Hermione looked down at him.

"Help…me…" He croaked out in a weak, strained voice, before surrendering to unconsciousness again. His hand slowly slipped from her wrist, white from the cut of blood supply due to his vice grip. Hermione gently put his hand back onto his chest so that it wasn't dangling by the side. He scared her, his breathing was weak and rapid and by the looks of it, he wasn't looking too good.

They reached the Infirmary and Sedgewick opened the door and held it open for her before calling out for the school's Healer, who came rushing out with a black robe over her nightgown – and was without any shoes - with a look of panic and concern. She gave a short gasp upon seeing the battered body on one of the Infirmary beds. She magicked her hair into a bun – to avoid it getting in the way while she was healing – and transfigured her nightclothes for more decent ones, though still without shoes. Hermione gently placed the boy on a bed near the back and stood back, allowing Madam Pomfrey to do what she needs to.

Madam Pomfrey rushed over to the bed and inspected her late night casualty. After instructing Hermione to fetch her a bowl, a few dry towels and a jug of water, she got on to removing the soaked black robe – a Death Eater's robe, Madam Pomfrey and Sedgewick noted as there was the Death Eater's mask attached to it – and undid the buttons of his torn shirt and removed it. Pomfrey put on binds on the casualty and made sure his wand was not on him; for safety reasons, obviously. The sight that greeted the two was not pretty; bruises and cuts covered his abdomen and chest and a bone protruding from his chest – obviously a broken rib – along with wounded arms and the faint marking that confirmed that he was a Death Eater. The Dark mark looked, incomplete, to the; it was not the same as those that she saw throughout her years of growing up. For one, it was barely visible and it seemed as though it wasn't able to be completed before the person stopped the marking.

Hermione soon returned and dropped the bowl and towel she was carrying in her left hand and barely managed to catch the falling jug. She let out a little gasp and felt weak. The sight of the badly injured casualty shocked her and left her…disgusted and sick to the stomach. The faint Dark Mark on his left arm shocked her more, but she willed herself to stay and help to the best of her ability. She was Head Girl and a Gryffindor – she had to be brave. Sedgewick helped pick up the dropped bowl and towels and passed them to Madam Pomfrey, who took it and set aside on the small table beside the bed. She took the jug from Hermione and poured some water into the bowl. She soaked on of the towels, wrung it and began to clean the blood off him. Hermione rushed forward and did the same, cleaning the blood on his face – which was scratched and cut in so many places. Sedgewick magically removed his pants for Madam Pomfrey so that she could inspect for any wounds or injuries on his legs. He than mumbled something about getting informing the Headmistress and quickly took off towards her office. Theother two worked in silence for a mere few seconds before Hermione's soft cry of surprise alerted the Healer.

"Oh Merlin…" Hermione whispered. Upon wiping the blood off the casualty's face, she realized who he really was. She dropped the towel by his head to cover her mouth, covering the area around her mouth with a bit of blood due to the bloody towel she had in hand. Just than, Sedgewick returned with a concerned Minerva McGonagall, the new Headmistress.

"I-" Hermione didn't know what to say. McGonagall rushed to the bedside and let out a small gasp and covered her mouth as well; as if the battered body was not enough but upon seeing the face of their patient, she was shocked beyond belief.

"I'll…I'll go alert the Slytherin Head of House. You three continue healing him. I'll be right back," With that said, she left the Infirmary in search of his Head of House. The two remaining witches continued to work on their 'patient' – Hermione, though still shocked, cleaning him up while Pomfrey healed visible wound and bruises and fixing whatever broken bones he had, the broken rib being the first priority. His breathing had calmed and most of his cuts had been healed. Sedgewick also helped by using his basic healing skills to close wounds, which didn't seem to want to close.

"Madam Pomfrey, the wounds won't close up," He commented, trying once again on the cut on the casualty's leg.

"There must be some sort of curse on him of some sorts. It's alright, as long as the blood stops flowing it'll be fine," She replied, healing the broken rib. She went to fetch several potions for their new patient, mainly the Blood Replenishing potion, for the amount of blood he had lost, and some potions to help speed up the healing process of the bones that were broken.

Hermione looked at the not so bloody body of the patient – so weak, so helpless.

So innocent.

Never in her years in Hogwarts had she thought she would see Draco Malfoy weak and dying. Never. Somehow she had always pictured him as the big guy. The one who torments others and was never beaten. He was always the physically strong one in Hermione's eyes. However, seeing Malfoy lying on the infirmary bed, teetering on the edge of the sword and hanging onto dear life, Hermione realized that she was wrong. She realized that even though Draco Malfoy was the toughest guy in school, he is not that big a guy out of school. Hermione could not help but pity him - just a little.

Hermione could not help but wonder how this 'tough guy' had ended up in such a condition and who did it. Everyone knew that Draco Malfoy ran away back in sixth year after Snape had killed Dumbledore, and everyone had assumed that he was a Death Eater, just like his father who was rotting his life away in Azkaban. So, if he was a Death Eater, than what was he doing here, at Hogwarts? If he was who everyone thinks he is, why is he here now, wounded? Why had he come to Hogwarts, of all places? The thoughts never left her head and continued to swim around, keeping Hermione distracted as she continued to clean off the blood and dirt off of the 'visitor'. Madam Pomfrey healed whatever wounds she could and forced potions down Malfoy's throat to help in the healing process.

So absorbed Hermione was that she hadn't noticed her patient stirring slightly and the Headmistress walking in the Infirmary with Slytherin's Head Of House in tow.

A/N: End of a not so long first chapter…was it good? I hope so…Reviews are very welcomed! Whoots!

Lotsa suga luv,

Vetilakriz