Disclaimer: Read previous ones.
Black is Our World
Never Really Free
The rustling of the wind moving through the trees woke me up, though I rather wish I had stayed asleep. Dark, ominous shadows filled the small clearing I found myself in, completely alone. A chill was evident in the air, like I shouldn't be here.
Attempting to stand, I realized that my body wouldn't obey any of the commands I gave it. Struggling, I tried to move my fingers only to have them remain on the ground, still and lifeless. Only my eyes obeyed me, glancing around the place I'd found myself.
I was completely and utterly alone. Nothing but the trees and myself, the branches scratching against the black sky. 'Is anyone there?' I thought, my mouth too tired to speak the sentence. 'How did I get here? Someone answer me!'
But even yelling out the questions in my mind seemed to tire my body more. Slowly, my eyes began to close once more, a drowsy numbness coming over my mind and invading my senses.
"Oh no you don't," muttered a girl's voice, slightly fuzzy but still recognizable. Cracking open one eye the blurry image of a brown haired girl dressed in tattered clothing appeared in my sight. "I'm not letting you die now!"
At once, the numbness that had been happily taking over disappeared and was replaced by hot, burning agony that seemed to course through my entire body. I uttered a small scream and attempted to curl up, my body now responding.
"I'm sorry, Draco...but if you fall asleep you'll die," the girl said softly, holding her bloodied hand that she'd just slapped me with, the crimson liquid my own. Tenderly, she ran a finger down my cheek, smearing the blood that had been on my face. "I'm going to have to touch you, okay? I know it's going to hurt, but try not to move..."
Gently, the girl rolled me until I lay on my stomach with my head resting on its side in the dirt. It all hurt so much...What I would give for it all to go away...But Hermione needed me...Pansy...Ginny...they all needed me.
With light hands, she touched one of the long welts that covered my back, ignoring my wince and hiss of pain. The cooling feeling of water being washed over my cuts surprised me slightly but I remained still, biting my lip to keep from crying out as the liquid stung my wounds.
"It's all right if you want to cry, Draco," she said gently, tearing off the bottom of her shirt to use as a bandage. "I'm the only one here and I don't mind. It would do you good to let go of the pain; not keep it all bottled up inside.
Stubbornly, I shook my head a mere inch, not wanting to shed a tear in front of her. Then she would think I was weak and I was supposed to be strong. "You're lucky to be alive at the second you know," she said, tying a strip of the cloth around a deep gash in my arm. "Any other person I know probably would have died already."
"What happened?" I asked hoarsely, my throat feeling like sandpaper. "How did we get here? Wherever we are..."
"We both transformed into our animagus forms and escaped the fortress. You collapsed earlier and I managed to carry you quite a bit until you reverted back to your human appearance. You were harder to carry then and I knew you needed treatment so we stopped."
I remained silent for the rest of her treatment to my back, determined to not show any sign of weakness. That was I remained silent until she began to roll up my pants leg, the material scratching against the open wounds.
"What are you doing?" I gasped, tears coming to my eyes. "Stop it, Mione... Please stop..." Her hand rested like a feather on the skin around my calf, yet still brining waves of anguish over me. "Don't touch it," I moaned, attempting to move my badly injured leg away from her, but once again it refused to answer to me.
"I don't know what to do!" she said helplessly, thankfully removing her bloodied hand. "I could bandage it but I don't really think it would heal like that. And I'm not amputating...one it is gross, two I don't have a knife, and three it really isn't necessary. The bone is still fine...It's just theflesh was completely cut through."
"Can't you do anything?" I asked weakly, my surroundings once again beginning to be filled with small black dots. "I really don't... feel that great..."
"I know," she soothed, her voice bordering on the edge of hysteria. "I'm just going to wrap it for now to stop you from losing more blood. Okay?" I didn't answer, my mouth no longer working either. "Don't die, Draco," she cried, hands gripping my shoulders and giving my body a firm shake. "Wake up! Don't go to sleep!"
Just like last time, the jolting to my body caused the pain to flare again and I was once more among the world of the living. She flipped me over so I was now lying on my bandaged back and gave me a sad smile. "Everything will be all right, Draco," she said softly, running her hands through my blond hair. "I won't let anything else happen to you."
"Where'd you get the water?" I croaked, flinching as she began to gently clean the injuries on my chest. "Stream nearby or something?"
"Yes," she said while nodding. "After I get you all bandaged up I'm going to go take a quick bath. You just stay here and rest. Once you feel a bit better I have some bread I can give you."
"Okay," I mumbled sleepily, her voice already sounding farther and farther away. I knew it was safe to rest now... All of my injuries that had been bleeding the most had been bandaged and cleaned...while the calf injury wasn't cleaned but it was bandaged. No one was allowed to touch it...
Her lips lightly brushed over my forehead and a sudden, warm content feeling came over me. Sure, the pain was still there, clear as crystal, but someone who cared about me was there, doing her best to make sure I was okay.
"I'm leaving now," she said a few minutes later. "You just rest, okay Draco?" I nodded, already feeling once again alone. The sound of her feet walking away filled me with a sense of abandonment since I couldn't get up and follow her.
I knew I was in no condition to go down to the river and give myself a quick wash, so I'm kind of glad Hermione used water on the injuries. She gave me a semi-bath without even my knowledge.
The wind whined through the trees, brushing over my still wet skin and made me shiver. Great, now I was probably going to die from a simple common cold because we had no way to treat it. I found myself wishing the Gryffindor would come back to chase away all of the growing 'what if' questions I had.
What if Voldemort was angry we got away and killed another of my companions?
What if we didn't get far enough away and some of the guards found us?
What if I couldn't walk again because of Marlin?
What if Hermione got hurt? Then what would we do?
"Draco? What's wrong?" called the girl, stepping out from the trees. "Are your injuries bothering you? Which one hurts? Can I help?" Slowly, I shook my head just happy that she was back.
Sitting down, she carefully lowered her body to the ground, her wet hair brushing against my cheek and making me shiver once again. But the coldness started to melt as she pressed her body against mine, hurting my injuries slightly, but providing me with the heat my body so desperately wanted.
"Good night, Draco," she said quietly, her breath tickling my ear. "Sleep well." And so I allowed my eyes to close, falling asleep with the brown haired angel by my side.
xxx
In another part of the woods a lone figure crashed through the brush, only the need to protect his friend spurring him on. The moon, only half full this night, shone down on the ragged form as he came into a clearing, free of the monstrous trees.
His face was haggard, making him seem years older than he really was. The light brown hair was flecked with gray, the locks now hanging well past his ears. Sharp brown eyes reflected the silver of the moon as he collapsed on the ground.
"What am I doing?" he muttered aloud to himself, taking a twig from the hard packed dirt and started to chew it. "There isn't any possible way he could still be alive...They've been hunting him since the start of the war."
They was the Death Eaters and Voldemort, current rulers of the world. In every corner of the Earth they were stationed, hunting down the survivors who had managed to get away from their iron grip and had yet to be put behind bars.
It amazed the man how fast the takeover had been. He'd been sitting in his temporary home sipping a cup of tea when the friendly, bright, young woman, now his only friend left that was still free, had said the Death Eaters were attacking Hogwarts.
He'd acted quickly, grabbing his wand and leaving the teacup abandoned on the table. When they'd gotten to the school, the battle was already underway and it was easy to see who was winning. The black robed figures covered almost every inch of ground, the bodies of other aurors and students littering the ground.
Both knew that they had no chance and would have to leave, hopefully to regroup with other fighters around the world. But Voldemort had been one step ahead of them...Already he had his minions stationed everywhere, killing or capturing all the wizards and witches. Next had been the muggles, being taken away to become amusement or sacrifices for the new power.
It had almost been three months now since he'd been in hiding and already things were looking down. No one could move freely anymore, having to run under the cloak of the night. But even then they were not safe from the clutches of Voldemort.
But back to the present situation. The man was searching for Albus Dumbledore, the only hope the Light side of the world had left. He was said to have read the second prophecy that was the key to killing Voldemort. It was a race of time between Good and Evil to find the old wizard and learn the prophecy.
Dumbledore would be quite willing to give it to the innocents of the war, knowing fully well that letting Voldemort learn it would mean all hope was lost. But how was he supposed to give it to them if he was nowhere to be found? Like the man and his friend, he had vanished towards the end of the battle to regroup only to disappear.
So now he was out here in vain search to find the old man and discover the prophecy that could defeat the Dark Lord. The vibrant woman had begged to go with him, not wanting to be alone but he'd firmly insisted, knowing that if he were caught the world still needed an able bodied person to try and help.
The eyes began to drift closed, weariness overtaking the exhausted man. No longer could he run down a dark path...He needed an answer and perhaps sleep would provide the answer to his question.
Rolling onto his side, he curled up to conserve his body heat in the chilly night air, before letting himself get the rest he called for.
xxx
"Time to get up, Draco," the girl called softly, gently shaking my shoulder. "We have to get going... They could find us at any moment."
Opening my eyes, I took in the blurry form of Hermione still attempting to get me up. "I'm up," I moaned, the pain, which had disappeared during sleep, washing over me once again. She seemed to notice I was suffering and stopped shaking my shoulder.
"You need to eat this," she said calmly, placing one hand on the small of my back and pulling me up to a sitting position, smiling sympathetically at the cry I gave as my body moved. She brought a small piece of bread to my mouth and attempted to make me eat.
In answer, I turned my head away, the thought of food making my stomach flip already. I hadn't eaten in so long I honestly don't think I'd be able to keep anything down. "I can't," I said softly, closing my eyes. "You eat it, Mione..."
"You need to eat something," she begged, putting the food to my mouth again. "Please take it, Draco?" Once more I turned my head away to hear her sigh and then the sounds of munching. "We need to get moving," she said after she'd finished her meal. "But I don't think you can walk..."
"Can too," I said childishly placing both hands behind my body to push myself up. But as soon as the smallest amount of pressure was applied, I yelled and fell backwards, pain shooting up my arms.
"No you can't," she said bitterly, eyes narrowing in concentration. "Can you morph back to your wolf form? I could carry you again..." Squinting my eyes shut I tried to imagine the form I'd felt last night... "You did it!" the girl exclaimed, her smile threatening to extinguish the sun. "Good boy Draco, good boy!"
Reaching down, she scooped my furry body into her arms, murmuring soothing words of comfort in response to my whimpers as her hands touched the tender injuries. "It'll be okay, Draco," she said, steering us through the trees. "Everything will be fine."
'But when?' I whined softly, digging my nose under her arm. 'When will the pain go away?' She just laughed at my attempt to talk to her.
We walked in silence for the next few hours, the sun beating down on my party with its strong, intense rays. It made me feel as though we had a large spotlight on us, an easy target for the Death Eaters to find us.
'Mione! Won't they find us?' I barked. 'We're traveling in broad daylight!'
I don't think she understood me but she seemed to get the question from the way I kept glancing around her shoulder every few seconds, despite the pain it caused me, to check to see if we were being followed.
"We're in the middle of a forest, Draco," she laughed, clearly enjoying being in the outdoors. "And lucky for us it is a non-magical one so we have nothing to worry about. They're not going to trek through a huge forest after us. We don't mean that much to them."
'But I know something,' I yipped, licking the girl on her cheek. 'They were talking about a prophecy that didn't concern Harry. They're looking for Dumbledore! He knows about it!'
"Hush, Draco, save your strength. Just rest and be quiet, okay boy?"
'I'm not really a dog Mione,' I barked. 'So don't call me boy! And listen to me! It's important! It's about a second prophecy and-' I was cut off as her hand painfully clamped over my muzzle.
"Shut up," she whispered, "I think I heard something." My ears lay flat back on my head as I sensed the second presence in the area. But somehow, it didn't smell evil or dark...More like a fellow wolf somehow.
'It's okay, Mione,' I barked, freeing my muzzle from her hand. 'I don't think whoever this person is means to harm us. Mione...Mione! MIONE!' I yelled as she gently deposited me on the ground and picked up a rather large stick from the ground. 'No...don't! Don't hurt him!'
I tried to revert back to my human form but found my body to weak to even follow the simple command. 'Stop, Hermione! He isn't evil!' I howled, attempting to rise off of the ground. My body crumpled on the first attempt but I forced myself to rise again. No way was I going to allow the Gryffindor to injure a fellow refugee like ourselves.
With another whimper, I compelled my legs to support my starved frame and started forward after the retreating girl, intending to protect both her and whoever this stranger was. Making my legs move faster, I caught up to Hermione and sank my teeth into her shirt, being very careful to not catch her skin.
"Draco," she scolded, "let go." I shook my head, determined to stop her at all costs. "Let go," she repeated, this time more firmly.
"Who's there?" called the newcomer, the voice easily a man's. Out of the trees he stepped and we both took in his appearance, myself letting go of Hermione's shirt.
A tattered pair of blue jeans clung to the man's lean frame with a dark blue polo shirt ripped in several places. Light brown hair hung down to almost his chin, streaks of gray altering the appearance somewhat. His forehead was creased as he frowned at both of us, a dark brown wand drawn and pointed.
Tentatively, I took a step towards the man, the wolf scent becoming even stronger as I approached. For some reason, the man seemed familiar...like I'd met him before but I couldn't place him.
The man's eyes widened when he saw my bedraggled state, a crimson trail following me as I dragged my injured back leg along behind me. Kneeling slowly down, he put the wand on the ground and held his arms wide showing he came in peace.
I finished crossing to him, my front paws buckling and I fell into his arms, head resting lightly on his knee. Running one of his hands through my fur I flinched and gave a small moan but made no attempt to move, all of my energy now spent.
"He's...he won't hurt you," said Hermione softly. "He isn't doing so well..."
The man looked up from me, his eyes widening as he stared at the brown haired girl. "Hermione? Is that you?" Her face broke into a large grin and she practically flew across the few feet that separated the two.
"Professor Lupin! Is it really you?" she cried, tears streaming down her face as the man rose, gently letting me fall to the ground and pulled the girl into an embrace. "It's really you," she sobbed, burying her face into his shirt. "It's really you..."
"What happened to you?" he asked, tightening his grasp around her body. "Where did you come from? Who's the wolf? Are you badly hurt?"
"Let's sit down," the girl suggested, her tears still falling. "I have so much to tell you! But how did you get here anyway?"
"I went searching for... I'll tell you later," he said softly. "But it isn't safe here...We can all go back to Grimmauld Place and discuss this. Voldemort hasn't found us there yet."
"That sounds great, Professor," the girl said wearily.
"Please, call me Remus.I'm not really your professor anymore."
Hermione nodded andthen continued."Can you pick Draco up? I don't think he'll be able to walk... Or are we apparating? You have a wand..."
"We can't apparate," he said wearily. "The Dark Lord has some type of charm covering the whole world for unidentified wands using spells. If I were to use it they would be able to trace us...We'll have to walk. And who's Draco?" he asked looking around the clearing.
"Draco Malfoy," Hermione said quietly. "He's the wolf...in an animagus form right now. He's really weak and his body took refuge in his stronger half."
"Of course," the old Defense Against Dark Arts professor said, moving over to me. His arms slid beneath my bloodied body and he easily lifted me into his arms. "What happened...?" he began before trailing off. "I'll get answers later, we should leave now."
With a confident stride he set off through the forest, Hermione trailing in his wake. I meanwhile tried to figure out why he had reminded me of a wolf. He definitely smelled like one, at least to my new nose he did.
Gradually, I just forgot the questions running through my brain as drowsiness invaded my senses. The rocking motion of hiking through the dense underbrush gave me a sense of a mother cradling her child and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
Hushed voices reached my extra sensitive ears and I stirred slightly to let my two companions know I was awake. 'Are we there yet?' I whined, the thought of a warm bed, and some real bandages already making me feel better.
"Be quiet, Draco," whispered Hermione, putting a finger to her lips. "Remus said we have to remain silent so we can sneak to the base. Will you be quiet?" I gave a soft growl showing I'd heard her.
"We're here," the man said softly, pausing to peer around a charred house. "Quickly, follow me." He sprinted across the ruined yards of the homes Death Eaters had destroyed until a huge house loomed out of nowhere before us.
Knocking twice really fast and then three times slow the door creaked open to reveal a large dark hall.Remus gestured for Hermione to go in and then he followed with me, closing the large oaken door silently behind us.
"Remus? Is that you?" came a female's voice from the top of a staircase. Hermione's face broke into another grin and she squealed excitedly, recognizing the voice that was foreign to me.
"Tonks!" she shrieked running up the curving banister. "Tonks!" A dark blue haired woman came to the top of the stairs so that I could see her in the wizard's arms. Her face broke into a smile and she grabbed the rushing girl in a bone-crushing hug.
"Goodness Hermione! Where did you come from?" she asked, pulling away and just looking at my friend.
"She can explain later, Tonks," said the man wearily. "Her friend needs quite a bit of help." He raised his arms slightly so the witch could get a look at me. Her hand flew to her mouth in horror as she gazed down at my bloodied frame.
"How did a wolf get so badly injured?" she exclaimed, rushing down the spiral staircase towards us.
"He's an animagus," said Hermione softly. "Draco Malfoy."
"My little cousin!" she cried, "even though I've never met him before," she added as an afterthought. "Remus, bring him to the kitchen and put him on top of the table. Hermione, run upstairs and get some towels and soap. We can't use magic even in here."
Hermione nodded and raced off while Remuscarried me into a rather bright kitchen. Bright yellow walls seemed to glow with dark blue flowered border setting off the gleam somewhat. A large brown table sat in the right corner, away from the oven and sink. About ten chairs were around it, none of them occupied.
Gently, the old professor set me down on the pine, my blood already seeping into the fine grains of wood and staining it. My cousin, who I had never even heard of before, came over to the table with a bucket of water, soap, and rolls of bandages. Seconds later, Hermione arrived breathless in the doorway, a large stack of fluffy, white towels held against her chest.
Setting them on the empty chair she collapsed in the one next to it, her gaze hopeful. "What injuries does he have?" asked Tonks, dipping one of the towels into the water and applying soap. "We'll need to know before we treat him at all."
"He's been whipped pretty badly," the girl said quietly, her hair now pulled back in a loose ponytail away from her face. "His whole back is in ribbons and he's been stabbed repeatedly throughout. Especially his right calf, Marlin plunged a dagger straight through."
No one bothered to ask who Marlin was, knowing answers to all of those questions would come later. "He has cuts and bruises all over his body and was put under the Crutacius Curse multiple times. They also branded his Dark Mark... so, his whole left arm is really sensitive and it's pretty badly burned. He was also...also..."
'Don't say it,' I whined, not having the strength to get off the table and make her be quiet. 'They'll think I'm weak...Don't say it...'
"Lucius raped him," she finally said after a pause, shooting a sympathetic glance towards me. "At least twice that I know of...He's also been starved since we were all captured, except for enough food so he'd stay alive."
"His own father did that," Remusrepeated, anger sounding in his voice. "How could he? On his own flesh and blood?"
"Draco," said Tonks gently, her attention turning to me. "We can't treat you well you're in that form. Could you try to turn back? Please?"
I slowly shook my head, knowing that as soon as I switched I would hurt even more. And wasn't I already in enough pain? "Please, Draco? We can't help you like that..." In the back of my mind I knew she was right...I would begin to feel better if I allowed them to help me.
A few seconds later, the pain increased ten fold and I couldn't help but whimper as the torment began anew. "Oh my God," gasped Tonks, "You poor thing..." Taking the cloth she'd been wetting earlier, the witch began to wash off the blood on my chest whileRemus held me down as I tried to shift away.
Squinting my eyes closed, I tried to ignore the pain only to find that it didn't work. The warm water stung something awful, the soap not helping matters. Plus the fact she kept dipping the cloth into the wounds to clean them out completely.
The crinkling of material reached my ears and I realized she was pulling off the pants I had transfigured. 'She's just trying to help,' I said, attempting to reassure myself. 'She's not going to do anything to you...relax...relax...'
But images of someone else's hands running over my body, tearing off my clothes, sent a shudder through my body and I instinctively kicked out at the blue haired girl, fear taking over my rational half.
"He's scared," said Hermione softly, her honey gaze boring into me. "After what Lucius did to him I doubt he'll ever be able to fully overcome it..." Another set of hands joined Remus's in holding me down, and the pants finished sliding off. "We're not going to hurt you Draco," soothed Hermione. "Just lie still and we'll take a look at the cut..."
One finger gingerly touched the wound and I howled, the merest pressure sending me into fits of pain. "This isn't good," my cousin muttered, trying as carefully as she could to unwrap the bandage Hermione had tied around it. "Remus, do you still have some of those pain relievers?"
"Afraid not," he said sadly. "They've all been use up."
"Draco," said Tonks softly. "I'm going to have to touch your injury, okay? I know it's going to hurt like hell but try not to move...You'll make it worse." I know I heard her, but my brain didn't seem to comprehend the small fact.
Her index finger landed on the first layer of broken skin, and to my horror, she began to push her finger into the wound. "Tonks! What are you doing?" screeched Hermione, her and Remus tightening their grip on me as I howled and tried to shake the girl off my leg. "Stop it!"
"I have to see how bad it is," was her reply. Looking up at the stunned girl she said, "I need to see how much of the muscle was punctured and if there is any chance of repairing it. To do this, I need to pull the wound open from the inside since we can't just do a scan with our wands."
"But you're hurting him!" wailed the girl, taking my right hand in her own and allowing me to squeeze it for comfort. "Please stop..." My cries turned into choked up sobs as I tried not to cry, tried not to show weakness, tried to be strong...
"There's really nothing we can do," she said several minutes later, removing her blood stained finger from my leg. "We can sew his leg back together on the outside to stop the bleeding, but that's about it. And we don't have any numbing potions or sleep draughts."
"You mean," said Hermione, voice wavering, "You're going to operate on him while he's awake? But that's...it's inhumane! Do you know how much pain he'll be in? You're using a needle on his skin! That's going to hurt Tonks! It went straight through, so you'll have to sew two injuries!"
"We don't have any other choice," said Tonks grimly, "Unless he doesn't mind us amputating his leg. There is a small chance he may gain mobility, but I doubt it. And even then it will take a lot of work to just be able to use it again."
"Can we at least physically knock him out?" asked the tearing girl, as though she was feeling my pain. "Could we do that?"
Sadly, Tonks shook her head. "He's already suffered to much trauma...If we were to do what you say Mione we could cause him to go into a coma or do more damage to him. I don't think any of us want that...He might faint from pain and that would be okay, but that's the only way he'll escape."
'But I don't want you to hurt me anymore,' my mind screamed, the thoughts not willing to process themselves into words. 'Just amputate the fucking thing and stop hurting me!' But since they couldn't hear the voice inside my head I was at their mercy.
"Sorry, Draco," the auror said, a sad smile on her face. "I know you're going to hate me right now...but trust me, it's for the best. I'll be right back...gotta go get a needle and some thread..."
A tear trickled silently down my face and I closed my eyes, no longer wanting to see the looks of pity I was receiving. Seconds later, Tonks entered the room again and I heard the spool of thread being set on the table. A snipping sound echoed in the room and I allowed another tear to leak from my eye.
"It'll be okay, Draco," said Hermione softly, her voice thick with emotion. "I'll be right here." To make her point, she gave my hand a squeeze and I felt once again grateful that she was with me and not back at Voldemort's.
"Here I go," Tonks muttered after threading the needle. "Remus, you might want to hold him down again...This isn't going to be pretty."
"Umm...Tonks?" asked Hermione quickly. "Not to sound rude, but do you think it might be safer for Remus to do this? I mean, you're not that great with sewing..."
"That probably is a better idea," the girl said laughing, although it was slightly forced. "Here ya go, Remus... Good luck!" Handing off the needle and thread, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and I heard Hermione give a little gasp of surprise.
Remustook his position at my feet, the needle poised above my injury. "Sorry bout this, Draco," he said before placing his hand on my leg for support and then sticking the needle into the first layer of skin, pulling the thread through until the knot caught.
I was suddenly aware of the metallic taste in my mouth and realized I'd bitten straight through my lip. "Here," said Tonks, forcing my mouth open and putting something between my teeth. "Chew on this." As soon as she slackened her grip, my jaw clenched together again, this time biting against a piece of hard plastic.
"I'm starting," said the DADA teacher, his expression grim. "Keep a good grip on him, Tonks...I don't want to hurt him more than I have too."
The piercing of the needle into the inside of my leg sent a jolt of pain through my body and I screamed, spitting the plastic out, wanting the agony my busted lip brought. If I could focus on one source of pain then maybe the one further down wouldn't be as bad.
"Hold him!" yelled Tonks, her arms pinning my shoulders to the table well Hermione was forced to let go of my hand to hold me down across the stomach. Another sharp wave invaded my senses and I bit down harder into my lip, the blood almost soothing in my mouth. And to think he'd just completed one stitch...
Minutes later, the voices started to grow fuzzy around me, like I had entered a cloud that was steadily closing in. 'I don't want to be in the dark!' my mind screamed as images around me began to blur together. 'Don't let me go back!' Seconds later, the utter darkness overtook me.
xxx
"I think he's starting to wake up," came the hushed voice of my cousin. "Yep look..his eyelashes are fluttering… Dear cousin, time to wake up..." My whole body felt as though it was numb, absolutely no pain was evident. Strange...
Cracking open one eye I took in the hazy image of the girl, this time with bright orange hair. "Why's your hair orange?" I slurred, my tongue seeming to have doubled in size. "And why doesn't anything hurt?"
"We packed ice around you for about an hour," said Hermione who was sitting on a chair next to the bed I found myself in. "It won't last that long but we all thought you deserved a small break."
"What happened?" I asked, trying to clear my head and bring back all of the thoughts I'd had during the operation. I couldn't even remember blacking out.
"You passed out," said Tonks matter-of-factly. "Not surprising either...I was surprised you were actually still alive when I saw you. And as for my hair being orange; I'm a metamorphmagus, meaning I can change my appearance at will. It's orange cuz I'm happy to see you all!"
I looked around the room to take in my new surroundings. I was on a twin bed in the far right corner of the room with a small nightstand in the very corner. A dresser sat across the way with a closet on the left.
It was then I noticed that my entire upper body had been completely bandaged and I could feel a pair of warm pants on my lower half. But what struck me odd was I didn't smell like blood and dirt like I had before.
Tonks sat at the foot of my bed, her smile wide and Hermione was in a brown chair that had been pulled up right next to my head. They almost seemed to know what my puzzled expression was about and Tonks laughed. "I'll let you explain things to him, Hermione while I go help Remus with the soup."
The girl gave a nervous chuckle and turned to me once Tonks had left. "She's rather clumsy," she admitted, "And truth tell, I'm quite afraid for her, Remus, and the soup."
I gave her a small smile, realizing she was trying to comfort me. "So what exactly happened, Hermione?" I asked.
"Well, you blacked out during surgery and we let you stay that way. I think we fixed your leg pretty well...Tonks said you're not supposed to attempt walking on it for a while so you are confined to bed rest."
"Works well with me," I said with a small smile. "What else?"
"We finished treating your other injuries and then Remus got you cleaned up a bit...Hope you don't mind but you really smelled Draco." She gave a nervous laugh, knowing fully well that I didn't like to be touched at all. "We just wanted to help, that's all..."
"It's all right," I said softly, staring up at the ceiling. "I trust you all somewhat, especially you, and I don't really think any of you would intentionally hurt me.Remus is a werewolf, right? I know I smelled wolf and I just remembered something about that from third year."
"He is," the girl said quietly. "But he won't hurt you and he isn't dangerous."
"I know." We lapsed into silence for several minutes, her hand holding mine loosely. "How long have I been out?" I asked randomly, turning my head on the pillow so I could see Hermione.
"Only a few hours, about four..." she said. "Draco...Is this really happening? Are we really free?" Hemione asked suddenly.
"We'll never be free," I answered, closing my eyes tiredly. "As long as Voldemort is alive, we'll never be safe."
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Author's Notes:
Sorry for the long wait! As most of you probably read on my profile, I lost internet connection cuz my cable modem blew up. :P
Can't really stay and chat...I've barely started PC. XD Hope you like the chapter! And reviews are nice...
