Title: 24
Rated: M
Synopsis: In twenty-four hours, they'll be laying flowers on her life.
Author Notes: Thank you to those who left a review and even those who have read the story in silence. I appreciate it. I sincerely apologize for the late update.

Chapter 2: Hour One

HIS eyes fluttered open to the sound of whispering. It grew louder as his eyes adjusted to the dim light glowing from the table next to him. His eyes rested on the baby blue curtains draped around his bed. Baby blue curtains? It took him a few moments to comprehend where he was. But how did he get here?

He pushed aside the bed cover to sit up properly. Did he have an accident? He felt his upper body for any bandages or scars. Nothing. If he felt perfectly fine and looked perfectly fine, why was he in the hospital wing of his school? He tried to think back to the last thing that had happened. Nothing came to mind. What was going on? It seemed as though he had lost his memory. He knew this effect because his father had constantly used a memory charm to erase memories of his father beating him.

But who cast the spell and why?

Before he could put a thought to it, the voices outside his curtains grew louder. He distinctively heard the voices of his Headmaster, Dumbledore and his school nurse, Madame Pomfrey. He strained his ears to hear what the conversation entailed.

"We can't simply let him lose, he could remember what happened when he lays his eyes on her," the nurse said worriedly.

"If we do not, I'm afraid Ms. Granger will catch on," Dumbledore replied sadly, "I'm doing this for her safety."

"Allowing him to be amongst the students is dangerous! He's the cause of her situation, do not forget Albus," Madame Pomfrey replied.

Dangerous? Since when had become dangerous? Why did they talk of him like he was some volatile criminal? And what exactly did he do to the mudblood? Endless questions swarmed his head as he stood up to get a better earshot.

"I know he's done a terrible thing but if he remains here, she will know it was him and that can only end up badly."

"Well, if you insist Albus," Madame Pomfrey sighed. Draco could tell she was frustrated because she could not get through to the Headmaster. The conversation seemed to have died as he heard rustling of robes and footsteps parting into different directions. Well, this little confrontation had helped him understand one thing. The only way he was going to find out what happened to him and that bloody mudblood was to ask the mudblood herself. Surely that would not be too hard?

xxx

Gloomy and cold, was the weather. Exactly how she felt. Hermione sat on one of the large stones facing the royal blue lake while everyone else was inside. She didn't want to face anyone at the moment. Everything felt anarchic in her head. By now, the dried tears had made a trail down her cheeks but she didn't care. She continued to cry until she had no more tears left.

"I didn't ask for this," Hermione whispered to the sky. "So why? What did I do so wrong?"

"Dirty, emotional and crazy. That about sums you up mudblood," Someone spoke up from behind her. She, without a doubt, knew who it was and decided not to respond to his remark.

Picking up a rock from the ground, Hermione analyzed it as though it was the most extraordinary rock she had ever seen. Maybe, if she played stupid and impassive, Draco Malfoy would walk away. The last thing she needed was Malfoy standing near her, verbally tormenting her.

"What's the matter, Granger? Your messy mane got stuck in your throat?" Malfoy continued. If this had been a regular day, she would have fought back. But now, it was useless. There was no point in fighting back to a loosing battle. She heard the movement of feet and looked up. Malfoy presented himself in front of her; hands in his coat pockets looking dull. She gave him an expression of total void as he returned a dirty glare. If he expected a staring contest, she wasn't going to give it to him. Quickly as she looked at him, she looked back down at her sneakers.

"Did someone finally cast a spell to shut you up, mudblood? I've always wanted to do the honors," he stated.

That hit a nerve. Before he could see her crying again, she stood up and brushed past him. She couldn't believe how quick he was to break her down. If it wasn't bad enough that she had to face this situation all on her own, he had to come along and anger her.

"So, it's true then. How long is it for?" Malfoy followed behind, "I should personally thank this person. Point them out for me next time." He laughed at his own stupid comment as he caught up with her long strides.

But she was getting fed up of this. She stopped dead in her tracks. "Listen, ferret, I don't have time to be made fun of. Just wait 24 hours and you can do your victory dance then," she yelled furiously. She pushed him out of her way and ran back into the school.

She couldn't believe it.

How stupid she was. Why did she just tell him that? So he can further agonize her? Worst of all, she told him. She had been keeping it to her self for the last hour. She made the decision then that she wasn't going to tell a single soul, except her parents. Because if she did tell her friends, things would get ugly. She could picture it in her head. Fights erupting as Harry and Ron searched for who cast the spell. If she was only going to live for 24 hours, she wanted things to be peaceful and quiet.

xxx

"So mudblood Granger and I have somewhat of a situation," Draco explained to Goyle and Crabbe, his sidekick cronies. He rested his legs on the couch as he watched the two of them sitting across from him. They appeared confused and somewhat worried. He was released from the hospital after ten minutes when he overheard Dumbledore and Pomfrey's conversation. The student body had a day off from all classes, which was unexpected and slightly worrying.

He wished he knew what he had done before he woke up in the hospital. He had set out to find Granger, with that thought in mind. He found her quickly resting at the lake side, crying uncontrollably. Was it that bad what he had done to her? And what did she mean about waiting for 24 hours? Did this have to do with her stupid Potter and Weasel?

"Malfoy, we didn't hear anything about the mudblood," Crabbe said. Draco eyed him carefully.

"Where have you two been the past few hours?" Draco asked.

"Just like you, we all woke up from the hospital. Everyone from DADA class was there," Crabbe replied and looked over at Goyle.

"And Snape said we had a day off from classes. That was all. I can't remember what happened in DADA. Must have been big," Goyle piped in.

"No shit, Sherlock. And it had to do with me. That is what I need to find out," Draco exclaimed in frustration as he stood up from the couch. "And no one knows what happened because clever Dumbledore wiped out our memories," he sneered.

"What are you going to do?" Goyle asked curiously.

"I don't know!" Draco said as he pulled back his hair from his face. He had quit using hair gels for the past few years and was beginning to wish he had one now. "What I do know is I don't have much time to find out." He remembered his confrontation with Granger and wondered what she had meant by 24 hours.