Voix

A completed and compiled fic

Written by Mizu

Disclaimer~Harry Potter characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros & J.K. Rowling

~ ! ~

Life is something incredibly important, but most likely taken advantage of. Most of the time, people think they will live to see the next day. They only learn the very importance of life when they get old. But... nonetheless, I don't know whether I can see the day... I become old. To waste or take a life is a horrible thing... The elders have always taught us the haiku, 'If this is not the end of oblivion, then I shall live everyday as if my life were to end on this very day.' But how do I do so?

~ ! ~

"What the-?!"

Draco took a step back from the scene in front of him, pushing Blaise Zambini out of the doorway to the empty classroom at the same time. The Slytherin girl gasped at the sight. A younger girl, from Ravenclaw, the shiny embelm told them, was lying on the cold stone floor, blood all over her arms and hands. Draco smirked and turned around to leave. "This will be terribly good dirt on this terribly good school." He chuckled as he left, but Blaise stopped him. "Come on, Malfoy... this is a life we're talking about here! Don't you see, she's still alive..." Draco looked at the hand on his shoulder, which she immediately withdrew, then at the bloody sight that ruined their date. He narrowed his eyes and gave a reluctant 'hmph' of yielding.

"Come on, go tell Madam Pomfrey, I'll carry her up afterwards." Blaise nodded and ran out, while Draco did the cleaning up and basic first aid- tying her tie tightly around the part just above the cut. He noticed that she was a fourth year- and pretty light, he could run up the stairs and probably jump, while carrying her. Luckily, everyone was headed for their dorms at that time, and nobody saw him carrying a bloody girl.

Madam Pomfrey was ready when he brought her in the Infirmary. She was shaking her head and tutting at the sight. "Kageyama... I knew it was bad, but... she couldn't have gone this far, I didn't suspect a thing!" Draco was curious. There were few people in England with such a name. But he was pretty sure that the Japanese ambassador's last name was similar to hers. But the whole family except for their child was killed a week ago. "Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey, but, you know why she did this? Why she attempted to... kill herself?" she smiled sadly. "She's my student in Medimagic. She has potential as a Medi Witch. One of my best... Her parents were taken away by the Unforgivables... she hasn't said a word since recieving the news..." Draco nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss, we hope she'll be alright." he said in a not-so-fake concerned voice. "But we have to get into our dorms..."

In a moment, Madam Pomfrey regained her sharp side. "Yes, well, it's past lights out!!! The two of you, go back to your dorms at once!" The two were ushered out sharply and sent to the Slytherin common room. After a good night, the two went to sleep.

Blaise and Draco arrived at the Great Hall yesterday, and made their usual snide remarks at the Gryffindors. They sat at the Slytherin table, Blaise ignoring Pansy's glares and rude remarks. She looked at Draco, who seemed spaced out, and brought up yesterday's subject. "What do you think happened to the girl? You think she's still alive?" he shrugged and his thoughts wandered back to his father's 'work'. This was what happened as a result from his 'fun'. And he had expected him to follow in his footsteps. Draco wasn't as ethusiastic as he was when he was in his first year. The deaths last year were enough to change his mind slightly, to make him wonder why his father was collaborating with an insane-

His thoughts were interrupted by his Eagle owl's parcel. It was a small box of toffee. There was a letter enclosed, one from his mother. He read it and sighed. There was probably another fight. Her handwriting was sloping slightly more to the right. She only did that when she was writing in bed, while his father was still asleep. He smirked and handed the box around. Goyle had sat with Millicent Bulstrode across the table. Crabbe was giving glances at Pansy, who was deliberately ignoring him, and 'making eyes' at Draco. He smirked as he remembered today's schedule. "It seems today we have Herbology. Oh, joy." Blaise smirked and checked her timetable. "But we have double Potions with the Gryffindors today. I have a bone to pick with Brown, the wretch splattered last week's Breaking Brew all over my new shoes." Draco scowled as Harry walked out with his friends and Chang.

~!~

"Shit!!" he looked at his hand, which was slightly burned from the plant he was holding earlier. Proffessor Sprout walked over and examined his hand. "Well, then, you'd better get yourself a cooling salve for that burn, Mister Malfoy. You're excused from the rest of the lesson. Proceed to the infirmary now." Draco smirked at Crabbe and Goyle, who grinned dumbly back. He nodded, faking pain and collecting his things. Then he headed for Pomfrey's office.

The infirmary was as clean as ever, and he saw that the girl's bed was surrounded by blue hospital curtains. He went over and knocked on the Matron's door with his good hand. She applied the salve and asked him to sit for a while. "You had better take care of yourself, Sprout's been telling me that you'll be handling Fire-breathing dandelions the whole half a term! Sit here for a while and I'll get you some more bandages and salve. Now sit still!" He nodded and looked at the curtain, he could see it being drawn. There was a head of straight chestnut brown hair and then, he could see very dark blue eyes. He nodded at the girl, who drew the curtains fully and sat up. He could see her wrists, which were bandaged and stained a slight red. He walked over and loomed above her.

"Its not good to take your own life, you know. even if you lost something, you need to pick up the pieces and walk away. Taking your life is only trouble to other people." He then walked over back to his seat, the bed across. The girl glared at him, but didn't say anything. He could read the expression in her eyes though. It clearly said: 'How would YOU know?' He chuckled and glared back. "Oh, I WOULD know. You're not the only one who suffers. Others are left with nothing, and they can still move on." She glared harder and narrowed her eyes, which were shining and tearing up. Only then, did Madam Pomfrey arrive with the salve, to see her two current charges glaring daggers at each other. "Mister Malfoy! Miss Kageyama!" The two glared at each other more and then snapped their heads towards her direction.

"Really! Miss Kageyama, I expected more from you, and Mister Malfoy! You should set better example for younger students! have you introduced yourselves...? I'm sorry, Miss Kageyama..." She turned to Draco. "She's Kageyama Elena.... Ravenclaw 4th year." Draco nodded and without looking at Elena, introduced himself. "Draco Malfoy... Slytherin 5th Year." Elena nodded and stood up and stood in front of him. She extended her hand. Warily, Draco took it and nodded when she smiled, somewhat hesitantly, at him. Madam Pomfrey gave him her salve and ushered him out to 'let the poor girl get a rest'.

Draco was in such a good mood for some reason or another, in such a good mood that he didn't make Potter's Potion lesson too much of a hell. The rest of the day went well, for a while, and during lunch, he excused himself and dropped by the library, then to the Infirmary. Elena seemed happy to see someone. He held up the book. "I though you might be bored out of your mind. I got you a book to read." She smiled and didn't say anything, but he could somehow read what she wanted, from herself. She smiled and whistled, two short ones and a longer note. He did what he least expected himself to do- he gave a curious look over. "Is that 'Thank You' ?" She smiled and nodded. He didn't smile back, but instead, he felt one isde of his mouth raise slightly.

"When are you going to go back to classes?" She shrugged and held up one finger. "One day?" she shood her head. "Week?" She nodded fervently and fell down on the bed heavily, feinting boredom. The other side of his mouth went up higher, as he shook his head. "At least you're missing lessons!" She laughed, well, laughed, without any sound. He smirked and patted her on the head. "Yeah, yeah, I understand perfectly how you're gonna be missing school SO much." he replied sarcastically as he stood up. "Anyway, I'd better go, or I'll be late for Transfiguration." She shrugged and patted the book and whistled again. he grinned and whistled once, very long. "You're welcome." She did her silent laugh again and opened the book as he left.

Draco found it easier to concentrate, somehow, even if Blaise kept on casting him coy glances. It seemed he understood slightly, the friendship thing a bit more. He sighed as he finished dinner and went on to the Library to do his homework. Crabbe and Goyle were somewhere eating, or something, and it was the only quiet place he could think of. But as he was four feet into his Arithmancy essay, he couldn't help overhear the Ravenclaws across the table gossiping. [Third Years...] He tried to concentrate on his work- his father had promised him the newest broom if for once, he topped a subject that Granger was taking. But still, snippets of conversation reached his ears.
"Lilia said she wasn't even talking!"
"They said she was mute now..."
"I heard Forrest say she was being haunted by her family..."
"I still can't believe she tried to kill herself!"

Finally, he couldn't take it and snapped his book shut, to glare at the four girls who were disturbing his Essay-writing time. (^-^) He went out and as soon as he arrived at his dorm, Adrian Paucey (Did I spell that right?) dragged him in and into the Quidditch team's corner. "Tomorrow, pratice before dinner." he nodded and proceeded into his room. But halfway across the common room, Blaise caught him and hung herself all over him. "Hey... why don't we continue what we were doing before that girl ruined our date?" Draco shrugged her off and ignored her glares and Pansy's smirks. He went up to his dorm and closed the curtains.

Blaise was realllly ticked off now, and left the common room in a huff, leaving a last 'bitch' in her wake, directed to Pansy. After some Filch-dodging, she found herself at the Infirmary. [Might as well...] she went in and greeted madam Pomfrey, who directed her to Elena. She extended her hand. "Blaise Zambini... Slytherin 5th Year" Elena smiled and wrote down her name and year. "Why aren't you speaking?" Elena shook her head and proceeded to try and say something, without anything coming out. Blaise laughed and leant over. "How do you communicate with others?" Elana wrote some stuff down. If I don't want to talk to them, I ignore them... most of the time, that's what I do... but I whistle some words that your friend and I made up. Most of the time, I write.Blaise noted the 'your friend' but ignored it, and stored it away for later reference.

"How do you whistle?" Elena laughed and wrote her code down and taught Blaise, who seeemed to enjoy herself until Madam Pomfrey ushered her out to 'let the poor girl get a rest' again. Uncannily, she was in quite a good mood for the rest of the time, and didn't attempt to kill Pansy at all.

But in the infirmary, a very confused girl was left behind. What are they planning?

"Hey...Draco, you okay?" Crabbe looked on as the smaller boy clutched at his head and moaned. He gave a nod, and the bigger guys accepted the answer, and went to sleep.

~!~

I'm really not feeling well. Draco thought as he looked at his miserable looking reflection on the mirror. There were traces of shadows under his eyes, and his hair was mussed up. He shook his head, and groaned. That hurt. He ignored it for a while, and gathered his bag for the day, giving the wall the password as he walked by it.

Blaise watched her now ex boyfriend walk out of the room, feeling her eyes narrow. And he didn't even look her way. Something must be wrong. She thought, as she found her bag, and walked out, heading for her Divinations class, glaring at Pansy all the way.

A lot of people seem to have woken up on the wrong side of bed today... Draco mused, as he looked at the Hufflepuffs that he shared the Arithmancy period with. Even his best subject seemed to be boring and the numbers all seemed to be swimming around the page. "Malfoy? Mister Malfoy?" He shook his head. Now I'm hearing voices. What the hell is up with me? Focus! He looked at Professor Sinistra, who was saying something, which he couldn't hear. Her mouth was just moving, and moving... everything was... getting... blurry...

"Mister Malfoy!" Professor Sinistra looked at one of her best students and at her other students, who were looking at the unconscious Slytherin. Quickly, she put down her open book and knelt in front of her student, putting a hand on his forehead. She hissed and withdrew her hand, looking on one of her other students. "Bones! Get Madam Pomfrey, Quick!" The young Hufflepuff nodded and ran out, as everybody crowded to get a better look at the for once, vulnerable Draco Malfoy.

Susan Bones (Is that right?) looked around at the frantic infirmary, looking for the familliar matron's hat of Madam Pomfrey. Finally spotting it near a bed of an unconscious Lavender Brown, she panted as she got near the muttering woman, who looked at her sceptically. "Another one?" she nodded. "Who?" Susan took a deep breath and finally replied. "Draco... Malfoy... Arithmancy classroom... fainted..." Madam Pomfrey shook her head and tutted. "Grisham!!" A young Medi Wizard-in-training ran up to her. His face was slightly pale, and there was sweat on his brow. A shimmering spell covered him, from top to bottom.

Madam Pomfrey looked at Susan. "This is Richard Grisham- he's one of my Medi Wizards-in-training. Bring him to the poor boy." Then, she turned to the seventh year. "Another one. Do be careful, and don't drop your protective spell!" Richard noded and flashed a smile at Susan, who blushed (O.o) and ran out, heading towards the Arithmancy classroom. He followed, as Madam pomfrey bent down to examine Lavender.

Augh... my head feels like a dwarve's mine... Draco opened his eyes, to see the high ceiling of the infirmary. He groaned as everything came back. I fainted. Fainted. In front of everybody. Great... With sarcasm dripping even in his thoughts, he tried to sit up, but failed. His head was swimming too much, and his arms were too weak to push him up. He groaned and looked to his left. Lavender Brown laid there, sleeping, he presumed. Looking past her, about eight other beds were occupied. And that was only on his side of the infirmary. Then he looked to his right, and smiled in relief inwardly, when he saw a familliar head of straight chestnut hair, and a head hidden behind a large book borrowed from the library the day before. He grunted as he finally sat up. His surroundings blurred for a while, beore he was able to look around.

The whole infirmary was almost full, and Medi witches and Medi wizards went around, making patients comfortable. He squinted as both familliar and unfamilliar faces lay on pillows, resting, eating, of talking to others near them. Brown, Creevey and Patil were nearby, so was Chang, Greene, Macmillan, Bones, and others from other years. He looked at the bed on his right, and opened his mouth to say something, but only a croak came out, and he felt like sand was being poured into his throat.

When she heard him, Elena looked over and stood up frantically, and looked guilty as she poured him a glass of water, and arranged his pillows. Draco laughed. "Don't be sorry, it's alright I know that book is really interesting. So, are you at the part where they snog yet?" He chuckled again as she blushed and gave such a tiny nod, you wouldn't have been able to see it from afar. He leant back into the pillows and looked at her hands, which were tucking the blankets tighter around him. They were long and pale. His eyes followed them, and he looked up as she pushed her hair out of her face. She was incredibly pale, and a light dusting of freckles covered her cheeks. She had eyes that seemed too big for her face, and as he looked into them, he saw something familliar, something that he saw often in his mother's eyes.

There was pain, suffering, and deep contemplation, also regret. And as he looked deeper, she turned his direction, to ask him something, but their eyes met, and her wand stopped writing in mid air. It stayed like that for a minute, before Madam Pomfrey bustled over. He saw Elana blush, and he himself looked down. Her wand's words floated down. Do you need anything else? He shook his head, and as she started to walk away, he caught her sleeve between two fingers. She turned back, question in her eyes. "Um, do you have a book, or something?" She shook her head. He could see Sorry in her eyes. He shrugged, and Madam Pomfrey thanked Elana, before pushing her over to her bed, and turning back to Draco. There was a strange light in her eyes as she explained what happened.

"You're one of the unlucky few, dear, who caught a virus that we don't have a cure for yet. I don't think it's fatal, or too infectious, or anything, we've sent blood tests to St Mungo's, so don't worry. It seems to have come from someone in Hogsmeade, now I want you to tell me every, single thing about your visit. Who you saw, where you went, and so on. Also, I've put Elana in charge of you, so if you need anything, call her. But don't ask her to stand up too much," she whispered, "She's still suffering the side effects of blood loss. Well, then, rest well, dear." She said, standing up, and checking stuff on a clipboard by his bed. He sighed and looked around again, when he caught Lavender's eye. She was smirking, and he could practically see a huge, italic, bold and underlined sign saying "Hot Gossip!!" In her eyes.

Their beds were about four feet apart, and she leant out and mouthed something. He gave an inward grimace as he read her lips. "I think someone likes a certain Ravenclaw..." But outwards, he just smirked, and mouthed back. "Yeah, right. I don't think so."

~!~

The next day, Draco woke up to curious glances from the people in the ward, and he thanked Crabbe and Goyle as they gave him his homework, and a few other books to read. After they left for Charms, Draco caught Hermione's eye, and she looked back, as if searching for something in him, and finally, turned it into a glare before looking away. Potter and Chang were in deep conversation, as Weasly and Granger talked to each other, comenting on something that Chang said every now and then. At that, time, he picked up a conversation from somewhere across his bed.

"What?!" Someone hushed the person, and he saw that it was two Hufflepuff second- years. They were whispering stuff, and somehow, he could make out a few words like 'Patil' and 'Brown' and 'Rescue'. He shrugged and turned back to his potions homework, dipping his quill into his inkpot. The Drying Draught has to simmer for twenty minutes in it's yellow form, before adding grindleworm skin and- As he wrote, suddenly, a coughing fit seized him, and his quill ran across the parchment, before skidding across the floor.

But he didn't notice anything, as Elana patted his back and handed him a glass of water. He smiled at her gratefully, and she nodded, smiling back, as she picked up the fallen quill. She motioned towards his ruined homework, and he sighed, shaking his head. "It's ok. It's just a draft, anyway." She shrugged, asking him if he needed anything else, and giving his back one last pat, before going back to her own bed, and resuming trying to transfigure a reed into a pipe.He noticed others looking at him, but ignored them, and went back to his work.

~!~

Draco woke up in the middle of the night, as he heard someone talking. Well, rather, a few people. Opening his eyes a fraction, he could barely make out the shapes of Creevey, Patil, Chang, Greene and Brown, huddled between the two Gryffindor girl's beds. But more or less, he could understand what they were saying. "I saw too! Really. Must have been a minute full, right?" It was Greene, and Brown nodded. "They were just... plain staring. And did you notice how concerned she was, this afternoon?" A few agreeing murmurs were sounded, when a fifth- year Hufflepuff crawled over from her bed.

"Are you talking about them?" Draco frowned, and he was thankful it was totally dark, except for the moonlight. Them? What the-? But Chang shushed her, and opened a book, scribbling some stuff on it. Draco was plain curious to what it contained, but reaching for his wand would be obvious. He sighed softly, and turned to his other side. He knew what they were talking about. It was obvious. Me. Me and Elana. He rolled his eyes, and forced himself to go back to sleep.

~!~

All too early the next day, Madam Pomfrey went around waking everyone up. Draco groaned and sat up, running a hand through his hair and blinking a few time to get his eyes to focus. It was still dark, clearly. Looking at the large grandfather clock near Madam Pomfrey's office, he could see the time. Six thirty? In the morning? He looked at Madam Pomfrey, trying hard not to glare. She was going around with a clipboard following her, checking things every now and then. She bustled over to a few people to check their temperatures, and finally, she came to Elana's bed, where she changed the bandaging around her wrists, which, fortunately, were slightly cleaner now, with only a few spots of red here and there. Madam Pomfrey nodded when Elana smiled at her gratefully. "You're welcome."

Then she turned to Draco, who grimaced as she gave him the potion for anti- fever. It was too chilling, and reminded him of the Dementors from their third year. After giving all of them the medicine, Madam Pomfrey stood in the middle of the room. "We've got the blood test results from the hospital, and the cure is being made, and you will all be out of here in a few days' time. The medicine will arrive tomorrow, if I'm correct..." Cheers were heard as the sick expressed their joy silently.

Draco shook his head and bent down to get his Charms essay. Breakfast would come soon. But then and there, another coughing fit seized him. It was becoming more and more frequent, with longer periods of time. Elana was immediately beside him, rubbing his back, but the coughing didn't stop, and he suddenly felt himself getting weaker. Madam Pomfrey came over, but what she did didn't stop the coughing at all. People looked at him, some getting curious, others, slightly concerned, after all, he was still Draco Malfoy.

Eventually, he stopped coughing, but his face was ashen, from a long period of time without breathing, and also from the force exerted in his weaker state. Elana's words floated in front of him again. Need anything? He shook his head, but another set came down. Are you sure? A glass of water? He looked up and glared at her. "I said, I didn't need anything, dammit!" At that moment in time, he certainly wished very hard that he had a time- turner. But he didn't. He felt regret as soon as he saw the suddenly steely, yet hurt, edge to her eyes appear.

I knew it all along. He isn't good inside- But Elana's thoughts stopped, and her reasonable side spoke up. Hey, he just went through a coughing fit that looked painful- wouldn't you be in an irritable state? Draco's eyes caught the steely edge's disappearance, but Elana still bowed stiffly to him and to Madam Pomfrey, before going up to her bed and drawing the curtains, looking very offended. The matron cast Draco a quick sideways look before walking off. he never felt so... so... conscious in his entire school history, as the others stared at him. He glared at every single one of them, and returned to doing his Charms essay, How Memory Charms Affect the Mind, feeling exremely thirsty.

~!~

Draco was feeling irritable. Very irritable. He hadn't talked to anyone the whole day, Elana hadn't come out from her bed's privacy, and he didn't hear anything, except for a few coughs and hisses coming from the others. Finally, lights out came, and Madam Pomfrey checked on them a last time, before going out and turning all the lamps off. As soon as she got out, and fifteen seconds passed, Brown lighted the fireplace. It was cold after all, since it was coming to the end of Autumn... He frowned. She forgot something, but what was it? Shaking it off, he closed the curtains and went to sleep.

In the middle of some weird dream, something shook him, and he woke up. Elana was above him, and shaking him wildly, mouthing words he couldn't understand. "What?" Again, she mouthed the words, and he noticed that her face was highlited, and that it was increasingly hot in the room. Finally, he turned around, and saw it. The rug in front of the fireplace had caught an ember, and was burning brightly. So was a nearby bed. He looked at the others, they were trying extinguishing spells, but some of them didn't have their wand with them. Chang came running in with a bucketful of water, and threw it on the rug.

At least, that's one person here with enough sense. He thought, before grabbing his wand, and casting an extinguishing spell. But the illness still drained him, and it was a pathetic excuse for a spell, like the other's. He cursed and looked at Elana. She was well, and could cast spells, couldn't she? He handed her his wand. It bent a little towards him, as if telling him it won't work for other people, but he sent it a bit of his will, telling it to do what she said. It straightened immediately. She did the swish-and-flick motion, and the rug stopped burning. The bed, however, was a different thing. It was too big for wordless spells, and she tried to say something, but nothing came out. The expression on her face was one of definite disappontment, and anger, probably towards herself.

Draco took the wand back, he had to pry it out of her hand, she was holding onto it so tightly. But finally, the teachers arrived, panting, and still in their nightclothes. Mc Gonagall immediately put out the fire, and cast cooling charms on everything. He felt relieved, and as Dumbledore restored everything to their usual places, he smiled his benign smile at everyone again, and spoke up. "I hope everyone is fine now?" Everyone nodded, and Mc Gonagall restored everything else, as Mme Pomfrey checked everyone for burns.

Ignoring the rest, Draco kicked himself mentally and took Elana's hands, which were still beside him, on his bed. She was holding onto his sheets so tightly, her knuckles were white, and it looked like the sheets would have torn patches from it soon. She looked surprised as he took her hands and flipped them over, checking her wrists. One of them was bleeding slightly, and he looked at her with a reprimanding look. She was blushing, Draco noted, with satisfaction. He smirked nad took the bandaging from her bedside, and started to unwrap the old bandage. He saw the scars underneath, they were white and livid, and he saw that there were two slashes on each wrist.

As Draco applied the dressing, Elana was blushing, she could feel her cheeks burning, and suddenly, she felt all the eyes on her, and she looked down. finally, he finished, and gave her a smile. Not a smirk, just a plain, natural smile, and she heard Lavender Brown give a small whistle. She would have too, if she wasn't too shocked. For once, she wanted to say something, but she couldn't. All she could cough out was "Tha." his smile grew wider, And handsomer, Elana thought. "You're welcome." After a somewhat reluctant cough from Mc Gonagall, the two noticed they were still holding hands, and immediately let go, as if touching burning coals. Lavender glared at Prof. Mc Gonagall, as did the rest of the infirmary. (Excluding Snape and Dumbledore.) "Ah, well, then, since everything is... alright, can everyone go to sleep now?"

A/N:) Hey!! So, how was this story then? Fine, I hope! This idea just popped out in my head while I was taking my Geography exam! Which means, I got this idea while I was temporarily insane. The 'Virus which we don't have a cure for', was goten the SARs virus struck. Please review me? Or drop me a line, please? My email adress is as follows: silver_moontear@yahoo.co.uk