Sarah woke up a few hours later. Mme Pomfrey had obviously drugged her; she didn't care all too much because as far as she could tell everything worked. Sarah moved her legs around and wiggled her toes. Thank goodness. She felt her face and sighed with relief. Sarah then sat up and turned to the mirror next to her bed. Everything looked to be in place and nothing was wrong, but she didn't enjoy lingering at the mirror too long. She had always been told she was beautiful-whether by Draco or anyone else who looked at her for more than a minute- She had medium length blond hair that waved slightly it occasionally seemed curly and she also had a pair of the coldest eyes; dark grey, like the sky before a storm. This allowed her to fit in as a Malfoy extremely well. Not to mention she had features and a figure most girls her age fight to maintain, but she didn't even bother. Sometimes she felt more like a porcelain doll than anything else. When she looked in the mirror she didn't feel real, she saw something in herself she could never identify but instinctively did not like. She had always wondered if others could feel it too, and that's why she'd never been any good at making friends.

"Mme Pomfrey?" Sarah called out "Are you there?" She didn't see anything wrong with calling out. There was no one else in the infirmary and she didn't want to be waiting there all night, though she didn't quite know what time it was. She thought about that for a moment. How long have I been here? She wondered. It could have been hours…maybe days if she had really been that badly cursed. After all Mme Pomfrey is not a mind reader, and Hermione didn't tell her what really happened. What if she treated me for the wrong thing? She panicked and began pacing around the room

"You're up" There was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. The smooth voice was unmistakable, it was Draco. "I was beginning to get a little worried. Professor Snape told me that he found you in the hall and you weren't feeling well. I thought that I had best check up on you. Are you alright?" He approached her in a way only Draco could, a movement that seemed like he had just drifted across the room to her. Sarah knew very well the kind of effect that Draco had on girls- and women for that matter. Between his looks and his charm and uncanny self confidence he really was a picture perfect kind of guy. Though he did have a dark side which seemed to limit his likeability greatly. Sarah had only ever known the side of Draco that was warm and safe; others felt cold sharp spikes behind his every word.

"I'm fine" Sarah said bluntly. "Just felt a little funny that's all. Passed out and woke up here" she felt bad for not explaining fully to Draco, but it wasn't a total lie. She did feel funny alright, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to tell him about Snape…or Harry and his friends for that matter.

"You're a terrible liar" Draco snapped

"I'm not a liar." Sarah retorted and began to walk out of the infirmary. Draco took her arm

"Don't do this." He said with warning. But it was still a caring tone, almost worried. "You get like this, I know. Cold as ice and guarded as hell…but don't do this. You're hiding something." He could read her better than anyone.

"It was Snape" Sarah confessed. "He cornered me in the hall and cursed me. Could have done a lot worse." Sarah felt a sense of guilt telling Draco this. She knew he had looked up to Snape for so long, mostly because he always gave him a good grade but also because he managed to have a good balance of dark and light. Draco looked at her more carefully. He seemed to show a little more panic in his face.

"What? Why would Snape attack you? That doesn't make sense" Draco seemed to be trying to decipher more whether to believe her or not, rather than why it had happened.

"I don't know why. I was on my way to see you and he caught me in the hallway and dragged me upstairs. He started spewing out a bunch of garbage about 'someone like me' shouldn't be alone in the hallway. I didn't understand a word of it." Sarah couldn't look him in the eyes. "…You don't believe me do you?" She finally said, not being able to stand wondering if any of this was getting through.

"I believe you. Of course I believe you." Draco put both hands on Sarah's shoulders and looked her in the eyes "Did he hurt you?"

"No. He paralyzed me actually. The worst was just some little spark burns from the tip of his wand. I didn't even notice he cursed me." Sarah finally looked up at Draco. His face seemed whiter than usual, his eyes unblinking. "Draco, I swear I'm fine"

"My father's going to hear about this" Draco finally sputtered out. It was what he always said when he felt powerless.

"I don't want you to."

"Father will have a word with him; he wouldn't stand for anyone hurting you. I know that." Draco put a hand on Sarah's cheek "I can't stand for anyone hurting you."

"Draco, he didn't hurt me. He gave me a bit of a scare, that's for sure. He said he'd be going to Dumbledore about this anyway, so chances are I'll be able to tell him."

"Dumbledore is a bloody idiot, he wont do anything" Draco turned away, obviously getting more and more upset. He seemed angrier now.

"He's not an idiot. I trust him."

"After what he did to my father? What he did to my whole family?" Draco turned back towards her and snapped. Sarah was speechless; she knew when it was better to say nothing at all. She could read him just as well as he could her. "I'm sorry. I'm just…I don't…"

"Draco, you can't honestly expect to save me all the time do you?" Sarah smiled at him. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." She giggled a little, simply to lighten the mood.

"I know…I know you can take care of yourself. I just feel like I should have been there. Like there was something I should have done. Met you halfway or something…just something."

"It's alright. Neither of us expected that to happen obviously." Sarah stepped forward and gave Draco a quick hug. "I'm safe and sound" she said and let go of him. Hugging wasn't something they did often, usually any physical gesture passed between them was a finger grazed across the other palm. Or a short squeeze of the arm in passing. For the most part at school they acted as if they were only acquaintances. Growing up they were taught that showing that you care for someone makes them vulnerable to harm and yourself weak. So they had long ago decided not to let anyone see this side of them, the side of them that couldn't live without the other. It was a private part of their lives they both held close to their heart.

"We should really get back. It was nearly midnight when I came up here" Draco said, adjusting himself slightly.

"Alright, well I'll see you later then." Sarah said and began to walk out the door.

"I'm walking you to Gryffindor tower." Draco said bluntly, as if there was no questioning it. Sarah of course ignored that.

"No you aren't. You aren't suppose to."

"I won't be able to sleep at all tonight unless I know for a fact you are safe in the tower." Draco walked out of the infirmary along side Sarah. "Just, let me.

"Alright, fine." Sarah reluctantly agreed.

They walked along in silence, casually glancing at each other every once in a while.

"Thank you" Sarah said just moments before they arrived outside the portrait covering the door to Gryffindor tower.

"What for?"

"Caring." A blunt statement made by Sarah true, but she didn't care. "I really don't know what would happen to me…you know…if I didn't have you around."

"Same here." Draco smiled. It was the first genuine smile he'd had all night. Sarah stopped abruptly in front of the portrait.

"You aren't suppose to be out this late" the fat lady in pink bellowed at her.

"I'm sorry, I was in the infirmary." Sarah apologized sincerely but the fat lady simply looked her and Draco up and down and scoffed.

"Right" She said finally "well are you going to give me the password or not?"

"Bell-" she began but the fat lady cut her off

"Not in front of a Slytherin! I don't want to give him an excuse to be able to get in" She said rudely.

"I'll go" Draco said coldly. He looked at Sarah one last look and let his hand just barely touch hers. "Goodnight." He said before turning and leaving into the shadows.

"Really darling? A Slytherin boy?"

"Mind your own business and Bellerose already." Sarah said defensively. The fat lady took the hint and didn't say anything else, but simply let Sarah thought. It had been a very long night and Sarah was very tired.