Healing was a bitch, I had studied healing from a very young age because of my father, to many cuts that I couldn't go to a healer for, I had to learn what I could. Ashamedly I had even studied muggle healing, because most of the time magic wasn't an option, I could only magically heal myself at Hogwarts. Thankfully I was now fairly good at both.
It was a slow process, finding the right combination of spells and potions. I used to never get it right, hence the scars, but I didn't make many mistakes these days. As the cuts began to heal, more tears slipped down my cheeks. The lashes on my chest were the worst of the cuts, they were from father's cane, sharpened at the end. How he had managed to live threw the war but not mother was a very sore spot for me.
Fixing the rib was hard, it required precision and that was extraordinarily difficult when one is in severe pain. I took some ordinary pain killers though which helped, I always kept a kit of muggle medicine on me these days, and while potions worked better they were far harder to unsuspiciously acquire.
I managed to fix the rib, joined correctly thankfully, although the bruising was something I couldn't totally fix, meaning it was going to hurt like hell for the next week or so.
Groaning as I rummaged around, I tried to find a shirt that wasn't covered in blood. I managed to get dressed into normal clothes without disturbing my healing injuries to much. Then there was the matter of the bloody clothes to deal with. Piling everything together I muttered "incendio" watching as all the evidence burnt up. No one would know that I had been injured out there, not that anyone would care.
The student body generally hated me, they all though I should have died in the war instead of their loved one. I was easy to blame and not guilt free so who could blame them really. Most liked to taunt me but some settled for just ignoring me. Hermione was a god send, she helped me when I wasn't being too much of a git, another thing I owed her for. I owed her a lot actually now that I thought about it.
Over the course of the last year, she had learned to tollerate me, and even in some extreme cases stood up for me.
Carefully packing up the remainder of my gear I slowly started to make my way back to the castle, the entire way void of anyone but me. I nearly froze on my way up but that was winter for you.
Hargrid was still was the grounds keeper, I wasn't sure how he survived the war but he did. If he noticed me walking back up to the castle late he didn't say anything about it as I walked past his hut. That stupid womping willow was still there as well, I gave it a wide berth.
As the castle loomed up in front of me, I wondered where I was actually going. The dorm? I suppose I'd have to I still had all my gear with me after all. Wincing, I opened the doors, once inside I quickly hid as I saw people milling about on the inside waiting for dinner to start. I crept along the wall hopping no one would notice me. Thankfully no one did and I was able to sneak out of the hall and onto the shifting stair cases.
"Malfoy!" I heard Grangers voice as I was half way up the first flight of stairs. I cursed and quickly, agonisingly, ran up the stairs onto the landing above, creating the stair case now with Granger on it to turn another way.
"Dam it Malfoy" she cursed as she scrambled up the case onto the landing to my right, thankfully no stair case connecting us.
I quickly headed up the next available stair case though, knowing she would find a way to get to me.
I head her curse again before she started moving up another stair case. "I just want to know what going on!" she yelled up at me. Thankfully dinner had started and no one was around to hear or see us.
Cursing as I saw her gain on me I quickly hopped on a passing stair case, swinging me to the other side of the room. Giving me time to quickly cheek my wounds, it was not good, this stress was making a few start to re-open thankfully my rib was just sore and not becoming damaged.
"Oh you insolent git!" she said heading upwards for the next stair case that would get her closer. Growling quietly against the pain I ran up the next couple of very nicely put stair cases. Giving me some distance.
"Why won't you talk to me!" she shouted from the stair case just below me. How had she gained on me so fast!
"Go away Granger," was all I could say without showing how much this was killing me.
I spelled the stair case she was on to go the other direction, nearly too late.
"You son of a..." she cursed as she ran off the just stopping stair case and up another one.
I groaned I couldn't keep going like this, just moving my wand had hurt. I needed an escape, somewhere to hide that she couldn't find me.
Author note:
So if you read this far, I really would like to know what you think. I wouldn't ask for the other chapters because you can read them without really forming an opinion, but if you continued reading then I could really use some help of what you think. Too much story? Too little? Needs more background? Plot? Help me out?
I've already gotten some flames on my others stores, constructive criticism would really be appreciated.
