...Ophelia?! Ophelia?! Its…
...Please open your eyes to us...
...There's so much blood…
...Can she be saved?...
...This is the … transfusion...
...We can hope she is changing…
...or a painless death that we can provide...
...Miss Giovanni, can you hear me?...
...Lia…

Sliding in and out of consciousness, unable to tell what was real or just a dream, the girl slowly opened her eyes to see and smell the sterile ceiling of the school's hospital ward. With the full moon shining light upon her, she felt like death. Covered in sweat and pain aching with every thought, sitting up was almost agonizing. Feeling a tug on her arm from the foreign needle pumping crimson red liquid into her revived and untarnished porcelain skin, the girl did not notice she was not alone until the cool words left his lips.

"I see you are up," Draco stated within the only chair next to her cot.

Nearly jumping out of her skin, the girl didn't have a wand or an inkling of where her wand was, but she stood up with sheets in her fingers since the only thing around her chest beside her bra were the bandages wrapped around her frame.

"Morgana and Merlin Draco…" she hissed, "The hell are you doing here?"

The boy sat silent, still as ever, but did not answer at first. As the adrenaline from reacting to his presence pumped to her brain, it took only seconds for the pain to come back. As her body wavered as she muffled her agonizing moan with the sheets closer to her chest, she had not noticed Draco standing until he took her arm to assist her back down. Incapable of pulling away, the girl obliged, she crumpled back down onto the cot shaking and sweating again.

"Relax Lia… The Silencing Charm can do only so much and if I am discovered or felt to be a threat to your well-being, I am going to be in more trouble," the boy stated as he kept a hand on her arm as she continued to fidget and shake until she laid still. Before she could even request why he was at her cot again, he began to explain the events and all that was going through her head as he sat back down.

"To catch you up on everything, you have only been here for five hours. Yesterday afternoon, you encountered a Boggart. Whatever reason, you ran and it chased, in which I noticed out of the corner of my eye while a group of us were 'monitoring' the dungeons. Taking Blaise with me, we went off towards the last sight I saw but only needed to follow your screams. At that point, the Boggart was so 'taken' by you; it failed to notice us until it was too late for it. By this time, Professor Snape and a few others had arrived to assist in getting rid of the creature while I covered you with my robe out of dignity since you, did not have a top anymore, and was going to be transported here. Since then, you have had four, err, transfusions… I think the matron called it, and enough salve to rid the bruises and broken bones but due to your condition… it does not work so well on mending the pain…"

As he stated her 'condition' her eyes snapped open to look at him. Entranced by his eyes as she tried to read through them, her vision was pulled to his outstretched hand that held out her steel ankh that was ripped from her neck. As one hand was held out for the pendant to be placed upon, the other instantly went to her throat that bore the scars she hid with the use of the cord and high collar clothing. Although the bandages covered all traces, she knew he saw the damages that riddled her body prior to the boggarts attack. Feeling vulnerable, the girl curled in a little to herself as the white sheets formed around her in hopes of making herself disappear.

"Tell me of your dream… or the boggart… seeing they are going to coincide Lia." The boy whispered as he pushed himself into the shadows as a figure glanced through the privacy screen to only see Ophelia on her side with eyes closed. As the figure walked off, the girl gripped the pendant within her childlike hands and spoke to the thin air.

"It was during the summer, July 21 to be exact. Just finished Quidditch practice at the school pitch since it is only a walk away from our homes. Living the farthest from the school, I was the last one to break away from the group. Nightfall arrived early; a storm had shown up, so the skies were much darker than before. I love the rocky weather, so I walked slower to enjoy the rain. I had not realized I was being watched. Taking the same path as a child, I was only two blocks from home when I went down that familiar alley that was different this time. He blocked my path. I thought maybe it was a drunk from one of the bars and decided to duck out back to the streets to find another alleyway but there he was again and a little closer. I knew I was in trouble. I ran.. I ran as fast as I could but it is not enough when you go against a creature like him. You saw that… He knocked me off my feet with a single swipe and though I had my wand, I just could not react the way I was taught."

Shaking again from the fear, Ophelia had not noticed the stream of tears that fell onto the pillowcase leaving little pink dots everywhere. In an attempt to shield herself, she gripped for dear life to the pendant in her shaking hand as she curled a little more into herself but was stopped by the shadowed figure reaching out to hold her outstretched hand steady. Tired of fighting she did not move her hand away from his but did place her free hand on her scarred neck as she continued with a sniffle.

"I don't remember much of that evening but the pain… he had no intention of letting me live. Left in a mangled heap… broken, dying… I was lucky enough that my parents always kept track of me and my friends and were already searching for me since I was not home for dinner even after the rain stopped. My best friend found me first…"

Silent again, she heard his voice then her parent's screams within her mind.

"What I found out later was a vampire had been traveling between towns, attacking only those within the wizarding community since our blood gives them sort of high as well as vast information on an individual. The Magical Intelligence Agency had been having trouble tracking him down but like my attack, he was already nowhere in sight. Taken to Boston, they had to use muggle and wizarding medicine to keep me alive. Blood transfusions, aligning bones, mending, the works. I was in the hospital for three weeks recovering but I did not come to until the last week. A crash course in what I can and cannot do, the scars are forever and the nightmare might go away or be complete but not now. Since my abilities as a witch are still intact, I continued with coming here but under heavy watch and additional guidance, not just you, but I have an extra class specific to my 'condition'. I was asked to keep my 'condition' quiet but as you can probably see, it is hard to hide to from the observant, like you…"

Slipping her hand from his, she sat up, pulling the sheets with her as she rested her head on her knees before laying the pendant on the ruffled covers.

"You are a natural occulmens, regardless if you had yet been formally trained. Like Professor Snape… not a single word or thought from your mind even when I look into your eyes…" she complimented to the still figure looking at her. "Which is nice since Pansy is a Gatling gun full of insults." Which caused Draco to scoff with Ophelia.

Looking to his opened eyes she softly cleared her throat to rid the awkward silence before looking away to the pendant.

"So are you going to tell me why you are here… and if you are going to tell anyone that is oblivious that I'm a freak?" she questioned as she blotted the remnants of her tears away.

With her head turned away to blot the right side of her face, the girl felt the edge of her bed shift. Instantly looking, he had his back turned to her but he spoke in a whisper only she could hear.

"No, no one will know unless you tell them. Blaise knows since he saw your scars and the boggart but we already have a rumor on how you have ended up here. You were dared to drink a potion and things went wrong if questioned."

As another brief moment of silence came between them, he looked over his shoulder, she could feel his gaze looking to the peeking scars on her neck that traveled across her collarbone.

"As for why I am still here… there are a few reasons," he stated before looking out towards the window at the planets that shined brightly.

"I was entrusted by Professor Snape to be a mentor during your stay. I found it ridiculous to have to 'baby' you and figured I could give you the rundown of the basics and let you go on your way. I was unaware, like the rest of us, of your history and condition. I cared little about it but seeing that Boggart and the speed in which you ran, I…" he stated with a sudden stop to his words.

"I feel like I have to be there for you. Not in a coddling way, but maybe for the fact we are very much alike. I thought Pansy was being a git during breakfast but after being here tonight in making sure you were all right, I can see she is not lying. You hold a lot inside, you hide a lot within… just like me. Not a freak, but different." He admitted as she looked at his turned face on the verge of questioning before he continued.

"So, I am here to watch over you… if you allow me…"

As he looked at her with a turn to his body, the girl did not say anything at first as she stared at the pendant again. Without looking, she pulled the taped needle on her skin with a single tug sending a few drops of blood on the sheets and her arm. Knowing well he was watching her actions, she wrapped her lips around the wound that she lapped over before setting her now unmarked arm back to her side as she finally looked at him.

Slowly, she curled her legs under her as she leaned closer towards him. She was close, enough to feel the warmth of his breath and skin, enough to hear the blood coursing through that pulsed faster. Without looking, the hand that was free of sheets reached out to touch his cheek and softly, she planted a kiss on the opposite side before leaning back still holding his face. Staring at his open eyes, she smiled softly and with a soft nod, "You have my permission."

Inside both of them, something flared. She wanted to kiss him again but she sat still, swallowing deeply before finally breaking the touch. Picking up the pendant, she held it close to her chest and laid back down as Draco went back to the chair in the shadows. As the silence between them began to fill the room, she whispered as her eyes began to fall again, "How did you know about my nickname Lia?"

As silence began to build, in a whispered reply she heard before falling back to sleep, "I have my ways…"

Evening Readers. Almost didn't get this chapter out for MS Document decided to be a butt and not say it auto-saved the document when I was tying it up and my laptop decided to shut down unexpected. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out tonight but it is probably in my best interest to get to my uni assignments due tomorrow first. Until then, tell me what you think, the good and the bad. Ta-Ta for now.