I Knew You Weren't
Chapter Four
A/N: Trigger warning. Mentions of mental illness, self-harm, and attempted suicide. Proceed at your own risk.
*6 Weeks Later*
Kylie, Ginny, and Arizona walked through the portrait hole into the head dorm laughing.
"Let me just put my books up and we'll head out."
Kylie couldn't help but notice that the dorm was strangely silent as she got to the stairs. She walked up quickly and opened her door wide enough to toss her bag in, when she heard groaning and gasping coming from the bathroom.
She turned her head and could see that the door was slightly ajar. She pushed the door open and almost screamed when she saw Draco sitting on the floor, blood pooling around him.
"Oh, fuck!" She exclaimed as she ran to his side, trying to find the source of the bleeding. "Oh, Draco, what did you do?"
"Ky?" Ginny called up the stairs. "What's going on?"
Kylie heard footsteps and turned as Ginny and Arizona froze at the bathroom door.
"Oh, Merlin." Arizona whispered.
"Go get Madame Pomfrey. Now." Kylie demanded and the other two girls ran out.
Kylie finally found where all the blood was coming from. She lifted Draco's left arm, the one bearing the Dark Mark. Or what was left of it, anyways. There were chunks missing from the Mark, healed over with fresh, pink scars. It was obvious that he was trying to remove it himself. Blood was pouring from the place where the snake head used to be.
"Goddamn it, Malfoy..." Kylie flicked her wand and summoned a first aid kit from her room. She pulled out some gauze and began wrapping his arm when his head lolled to the side.
She had just finished with the gauze when Madame Pomfrey arrived.
"Oh, dear." Madame Pomfrey conjured up a stretcher and levitated Draco onto it. She noticed the bandage and looked at Kylie.
"I've had a lot of practice." Kylie said, averting her eyes away from the girls at the bathroom door.
Madame Pomfrey smiled. "I know, dear. You did well." She turned to leave but Kylie grabbed her arm.
"He's trying to remove his Mark." She whispered.
Madame Pomfrey nodded, a grim look sweeping over her face, as she levitated Draco down the stairs and out of the portrait hole.
"I'm, uh, gonna go down there and sit with him until he wakes up."
Ginny nodded and Arizona gave a sympathetic smile.
Kylie leaned forward and gave Arizona a quick kiss. "You guys can hang out without me, right?"
Arizona placed her hand on Kylie's arm. "Don't worry about us. He'll need someone there for him."
"Yeah, we'll be fine. I promise I won't let any other girls steal her away from you." Ginny smiled.
"Thanks, guys."
Kylie hadn't realized she had fallen asleep with her head on the side of Draco's bed until he moved slightly and accidentally woke her up.
"Meadows?" Draco said groggily, as he squinted through one open eye. "Where am I? What happ-" He stopped when he realized where he was. "Did you bring me here?" He asked, angrily.
"If I hadn't, you would have died." Kylie sat back in her chair. "What were you thinking, Draco?"
"It's none of your business. You wouldn't understand." Draco turned his head away from her.
"I wouldn't understand?" Kylie sighed as she pulled out her wand. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
Draco peeked out of the corner of his eye as Kylie waved her wand over her arm and numerous pale white, thin scars appeared on her arm starting at her wrist and going up to the crook of her elbow. He turned to her and propped himself up on one elbow, having her arm with his free hand. "Glamour Charm?"
Kylie nodded, pocketing her wand.
Draco ran his fingers down the column of scars. "Why?"
"Because I'm fucked up." Kylie shrugged. "My dad died when I was a baby. I never knew about magic until I got my letter. To come here, I had to leave everything behind. My friends, my school... my mum was terrified. By 13, I had lost all of my friends. I couldn't tell them where I went to school or what I had learned. They didn't want to deal with the secrets. My mum is scared of magic so my friends here couldn't visit. I started cutting myself because I could control it. That summer I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and OCD."
"I have no idea what those are." Draco admitted.
That caused Kylie to let out a small chuckle. "It's why I have to take a handful of pills every morning. So my brain can try and work correctly."
"Pills? You mean those things you take with your morning tea?"
"Yeah. They're pretty much Muggle potions in a small, compact form. I take one at night that helps me sleep."
Draco's fingers paused over the one avast that stuck out from the rest. It was thicker and more raised than the others and close to her wrist.
"That's where I tried to kill myself right after I got home when 4th Year ended. But when I saw all the blood, I chickened out and yelled for my mom. She put me in a psych ward. That's basically a hospital specifically for crazy people. I spent the entire summer there. I had to convince my mum to take me to St. Mungo's first because I cut through the tendon in my wrist and the Muggle doctors didn't think they could fix it and give me back full movement in my hand."
"But you're okay now?"
"Better every day." Kylie smiled.
"Who knows about this?" Draco couldn't take his eyes off of her arm.
"Ginny, Madame Pomfrey, and you. Arizona knows some, but not all." Kylie shrugged.
"So this is why you're so nice to me. And why you preach all of your peace-love-forgiveness, I-won't-judge-you stuff."
"I wouldn't want someone judging me unless they had walked in my shoes. And I've never walked in yours. So, yes. This is part of it."
"Why are you telling me this? We're not even friends."
"I just saved your life. I think we qualify as friends now. And i'm telling you so you'll tell me."
"I want this thing off of my arm. That's it. It's a reminder every day of the shit I went through. And I want it gone."
"So, you'd rather mutilate yourself than wait to see if it disappears?"
"You mutilated yourself." Draco pointed out.
"Yes, and it's not exactly a behavior I condone. Idiot."
"So, what would you do?" Draco sat straight up and crossed his arms (not without wincing, though.) "Just wait and see if it just goes away on its own? Bloody fucking unlikely."
"Actually, I would. And if it didn't, I'd go see a Healer."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, you may be that patient. I'm not."
"You know, you're being a bit unpleasant to the woman who helped you not die. I'll just go get Poppy and let her know you're awake. And I'll leave." She stood up and Draco's good arm shot out to grab her.
"Don't go yet. I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "If you went through what I did, you'd want it gone, too."
"Don't be stupid about it. I don't want to have to break in a new Head Boy. Or roommate."
"I get it now. You only helped me because otherwise you'd be inconvenienced."
"Of course. And i'm also kind of fond of you. You really aren't that bad." Kylie laughed as she sat back down.
"Don't let anyone hear you say that. My reputation would be ruined." Draco fixed his pillows do they propped him up and he leaned back on them.
"Ah, yes. Your precious reputation. Can't ruin that, now can we?" Kylie shook her head. "Scout's honor, I will tell everyone in see what an arsehole you are."
"And a badass. Don't forget that."
"Of course I won't. I'll tell everyone you battled a dragon or something equally as manly."
"Good. I like it. Maybe not a dragon, though. Tad bit unbelievable."
"Hippogriff, then? Or maybe a vicious ferret." Kylie winked and Draco turned bright red.
"Please don't remind me of that. For the love of Merlin's saggy left testicle, please don't remind me." Draco covered his face with his hands to try and hide his embarrassment.
Kylie giggled. "You were the talk of the Gryffindor common room for weeks after that."
"Ugh, I believe it."
Madame Pomfrey came out of her office and smiled at the laughing pair. "How are you feeling, Mr. Malfoy?"
"I'm alright for now, thanks." Draco managed a smile. "My arm hurts a bit, though."
"Figured it might." Madame Pomfrey handed Draco a small amount of pain potion, which he took immediately. "I'm off for the night. Call me back in if you need me. You know how."
Draco nodded and Madame Pomfrey turned to leave.
"I'd better go." Kylie said, standing up.
"Stay... please? It gets weird at night when she's not here."
"Thought we weren't friends." Kylie raised an eyebrow.
Draco groaned. "We're fucking friends, okay?"
Kylie gave a single nod. "Madame Pomfrey?" She called after the nurse. "I'll keep an eye on him tonight."
"Alright, dear. You know where I am if you need me." Madame Pomfrey smiled as she exited the hospital wing.
"I'll stay on one condition."
A sly smirk appeared on Draco's face. "And what condition is that?"
"You promise you won't do this ever again."
"What if I-"
"Goodnight, Draco." Kylie pulled her messenger bag over her shoulder.
Draco grabbed her arm briefly. "Fine. I promise." He marked an invisible X over his chest with his finger. "Cross my heart."
"Okay." Kylie grabbed Draco's hand and squeezed it gently. "Goodnight." She climbed into the bed next to Draco's, putting her bag on the floor and pulling the blankets around her.
"Thank you."
Kylie reached down into her bag and pulled out a small bottle. She removed the lid and pulled a little, white circle from it. She closed the bottle back up and slid it back into her bag. "Give me your water."
Draco understood why she needed it and handed her the glass. He watched as she swallowed her 'pill', or whatever she called it, and gave the cup back. "Just...don't die in the middle of the night. Okay?"
Draco nodded, chuckling a bit. "I'll try my best."
"Good. If you die on me, I'll kill you."
"Good to know. Wouldn't want to die twice."
Kylie could feel her eyes drooping. "G'night." She mumbled as she fell asleep.
Draco couldn't help but smile a little. "Goodnight."
Xxxxx
A/N: I hope everyone is liking this so far! Review, follow, favorite! Xoxo