Title: Hush
Author: Bright Eyes (Or Shining Bright Eyes)
Summary:
Word Count: 1,214
Disclaimer: If I were JK Rowling I would have gone to her masquerade ball. Unfortunately I didn't and there for I am not her.
A/N: I sincerely apologise for the delay. I really wanted this chapter to come out sooner but school delayed me. PLEASE READ THE REVISED CHAPTER 1!
I would just like to note that despite the upcoming Hermione POV this story is NOT going to be a D/Hr. I do read some D/Hr but I really can't write romance all that well. I'm just saving you the disappointment now… PLEASE READ THE REVISED CHAPTER 1!
Chapter 8: Pansy Parkinson's Precious Pet
"Well?" asked Pansy impatiently. "What happened last night?"
Draco looked up from the paper and glare into the girl's gleaming eyes. "Leave me alone Parkinson. Stay away from me," hissed Draco. He was beginning to feel slightly dizzy and the nausea hadn't left him either. "Dangerous times Pansy Parkinson. These are dangerous times," sneered Draco.
"Mr Malfoy! Mr Malfoy!" called Professor McGonagall, her voice laced with undisguised annoyance.
Hermione Granger glanced at Draco Malfoy for a moment and then turned back to her notes. Considering he was sitting behind her in Transfiguration, he had been surprisingly quiet. He was never one to miss a chance to call her a 'Mudblood' or make other scornful remarks about her blood relations.
"If you can not pay attention, in this simple exercise, Mr Malfoy, I will be forced to - "
"Hermione!" whispered the voice of Ron Weasley voice from the seat beside her.
"What?" she hissed back not turning away from the formidable Professor.
"Look at Malfoy! He looks really odd," replied Ron gleefully.
She glanced a Ron whose face was lit up with delight and directed a slightly frustrated expression and turned back around to the scene of Professor McGonagall berating Draco Malfoy.
Malfoy's expression was completely empty, almost as though he had withdrawn into himself. His grey eyes, usually filled a cold hatred were now empty like a boarded up house and his face seemed to have reached a new level of pallor.
" – Miss Granger I am talking to Mr Malfoy, I'm quite sure we don't require you observing us," the Transfiguration Professor said sharply, interrupting Hermione's thoughts.
"Yes, Professor," replied Hermione quietly. Despite turning back to her work, her thoughts never wandered from the Slytherin at the desk behind her.
Breakfast had been a rather quiet affair at the Slytherin table of late It had recently been lacking Draco Malfoy making plans for revenge against Gryffindors and his other enemies alike
"Oh!" gasped Pansy Parkinson. "Draco, I – Oh you poor thing!'
Draco continued to stare down as his untouched French toast as seemingly oblivious to Pansy's words.
"Draco!" exclaimed Pansy. Her eyes were narrowed in frustration as she gently shook Draco's arm. "I know you've been down lately…and I don't want you to be even more upset but… you really should listen to me."
"He hasn't just been down. He's been completely out," muttered Blaise Zabini to Millicent Bulstrode who nodded hurriedly, hanging of his every word.
Pansy pushed Draco's plate aside and replaced it with a copy of the Daily Prophet that was open at the obituaries.
"I know you were fond of him, Draco," whispered Pansy quietly and patted him on the back soothingly. She pointed towards the cursive text that read 'Abraxas Draco Malfoy'. "I didn't know you were named after him… your father must have been quite fond of him…"
Draco continued to stare at the place where is breakfast had been sitting. His empty eyes didn't quite focus on the writing before them.
Pansy took Draco's pale and nearly lifeless hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "Why don't you floo your father? I'm sure he'd want to talk to you right now. He must be I awfully i/ upset. Abraxas gave you your ring didn't he?"
Pansy stroked the ornate Slytherin heirloom that resided on Draco's right hand.
Blaise Zabini leaned across the table and pulled at a limp strand of Draco's hair.
Pansy looked vehemently at Blaise for a moment and then flattened Draco's white-blond hair back down.
"Don't touch his hair. It took me ages to do this morning. He kept falling forward like a rag doll. He's going through a tough time, Blaise," she whispered as though not wanted Draco to hear.
Blaise narrowed his blue eyes. "He can't hear you. He can't understand you. He hasn't responded to anything since he went missing the day Snape got sent to the hospital wing. Yet you keep dragging him around like he's a toy! For the first time in your life he's not pushing you away. When he snaps out of this he's going to be disgusted that you were hanging off him for a week." He sneered disgustedly and took a sip of his tea.
Pansy sniffed slightly. "He's i listening i/ to me, Blaise."
"I'm taking him to, Snape," said Blaise. His voice making it clear that there would be no argument. "Crabbe. Goyle."
The two hulking teenagers looked up.
"We're taking Malfoy to see Snape."
After Crabbe and Goyle got Draco up, he seemed to start walking on his own accord. It was simply a matter of Crabbe and Goyle shoving him in the right direction. Pansy kept trying to pry Draco from his safe shelter between the two heavy boys with no success.
"Pansy, give up," sneered Blaise as he strode ahead of the group, his dark hair gleaming in the torchlight of the dungeons. "If you truly care for him you'll let us take care of this."
"Blaise!" whined Pansy, still trying to release her Draco.
"Pansy!" mimicked Blaise. "If you don't shut up this instant I'm going to hex you!"
Pansy remained quite until they reached the potion professor's office door.
A look of realisation suddenly dawned on Pansy's face. "He's still in the hospital wing, Blaise," smirked the Slytherin girl triumphantly. "We'll just have to take Draco back to the common room."
Blaise narrowed slightly angular eyes. "I don't know why you're a Slytherin, Pansy. Cunning? Wit? Both of those features are those that you severely lack. Professor Snape returned from the hospital wing this morning."
"Indeed I did," said a silky voice from the shadows of the dungeon corridor. "Now what seems to be the matter with Mr Malfoy? He doesn't quite seem to be himself…"
"Professor," said Blasie evenly. "Might I come into your office with Draco to discuss this matter?"
The potions professor moved into the light, eerie shadows were thrown across his face making him look more pallid that usual. "Indeed. Miss Parkinson, Mr Crabbe and Mr Goyle, off to your classes."
Pansy looked momentarily outraged. "I – "
Only to have the door to Professor Snape's office slam in her face.
"Mr Zabini, Mr Malfoy?" Asked Professor Snape. His black eyes darted around his office, checking that everything was still in place since he had left.
"Sir, it's Draco. He's been behaving quite unusually," said Blaise quietly. "Ever since the night that you went to the hospital wing. We're quite concerned."
"Has he just been…empty? Like he is now," questioned the professor and took a seat in the high backed chair behind his desk. "Sit down."
"Yes, sir," nodded Blaise and sat down in an identical chair, gently tugged on Draco's sleeve to make him follow. "He can barely do anything by himself…some professors have been getting quite upset. He hasn't been able to complete homework or go to Quiddich practice… Pansy has been completely obsessed. She even did his homework." He finished, looking completely disgusted.
Snape nodded carefully, rubbing his temples. "I hate to do this, especially to a student like Draco. I'm afraid we'll have to isolate him in the hospital wing until he either improves…or his parents take him home for the Christmas holidays."
A/N: The events of the prologue now unfold. I recommend you go back and read my REVISED prologue if you didn't listen to my earlier warnings. It will make much more sense. Please review!
Bright Eyes
