Worse for Wear
Chapter Eight: Wipe Out
When I woke up, I hurt everywhere, and my stomach felt very queasy. I didn't want to wake Draco, who was sleeping angelically next to me, so I slowly climbed out of bed and pulled on the nearest thing. Then I crept to the bath room. When I got back he was awake and waiting for me.
"Are you feeling okay Mione?" He asked taking me into his arms. I shook my head, trying to think of what could possibly make me feel this sick. It wasn't the food, because Draco and I had the same thing all day. It had to have been the drink Veronica gave. Why else would Draco get the one that didn't have a cherry? She needed a way to tell the poisoned drink from the non. Removing myself from Draco's safe haven I went got my glass from last night. Using a simple spell I tested for poisons. It came back positive but I was unable to tell what type it was.
"What a cat, she thinks that poisoning me will really work? I'm a nurse for Merlin's sake," I cried. I threw my glass onto the lawn below me before climbing back into to bed with my real boyfriend. I started to tell him what I found and quick as ever he climbed out of bed and got dressed.
"What are you doing?"
"Veronica poisoned you, and all poisons need an antidote. I'll be back with one soon love," Draco told me gently kissing my forehead and apperating from the room. While he was gone I worked on the letter I had written. The first one was good but it still didn't seem to really say what I needed to say. Between rounds of getting sick I revised it.
My Wonderful Draco,
In my past experiences love has been a new and exciting thing. But a question ever present in my mind is what is love? Is it knowing how to make someone happy or is it begin happy because someone else is happy? I told Ron I loved him, but I know now that I lied. I didn't know what love was then. But I do know. I know that I love you and that it's not a lie. This is real. Love is selfish, and if selfish means keeping you then I am the most selfish of all.
Entirely Yours,
Hermione
Happy with my letter I tucked it away and tested my strength. Finding that I had gained quite a bit back I got up and walked slowly to the library to read. I was content waiting for Draco, surrounded by books. About an hour after he had left an owl found me in the library with an urgent letter. Taking it from the owl I set the book I was reading down and began to read it. It was from Ginny and it was very short with no intro or closing to it. Just one line of text in bold script. 'HE'S COMING!!' I got up hastily, slipping books about me on to the floor. I left them there on the floor and ran out of the library, my bare feet slapping to flagstone. When I got to the carpeted stairs a stabbing pain paralyzed me and I collapsed at the bottom of the landing. I realized that the reason I couldn't put my finger on just one poison was because there wasn't just one poison in my drink.
"Hermione? What's going on? Are you okay?" Derek asked coming out of his study next to the stair landing. I told him about how sick I was this morning and how I had just suddenly collapsed. Gently he lifted me from the ground and carried me to my room to wait from Draco. He stayed with me to make sure nothing else happened and sent an owl after Draco to hurry him. I gazed at Derek through half opened eyes, trying to get myself to tell him that his to-be wife tried to kill me. It just couldn't do it. A small tear leaked from my eyes.
"Hurry Draco."
.
