A sharp pain ran through Draco's arms, and he flinched from the suddenness of the sting.
"You okay?" Lindsey asked, ready to help Draco if necessary.
"Yeah, fine," he muttered, trying to make his voice sound reassuring. Lindsey wasn't fooled, however, and carefully helped him get back into a comfortable, lying position. His face had more color than a few days ago, but it was still pale and it looked as if his skin was simply stretching across his skull; all signs of muscle and fat deprived from his body.
"Rest," Lindsey murmured, not allowing him to move again. Draco frowned, but didn't dare argue as Lindsey let her hands rest on his Mark. The throbbing had left, but the aftermath left his shoulder and corresponding arm tingling uncomfortably.
Almost instantly, Draco had fallen back into another one of his nightmares. Darkness had consumed his mind, and not one light existed in the retched landscape he was stuck in.
"Lucius!" Draco heard his mother cry, reaching up towards her husband, who's face was floating evermore away. Lucius' pale face drifted further and further backwards, until it was completely out of Draco and Narcissa's sight. Draco watched, mortified, as his mother kneeled down into the shadows, her cold, white tears flowing down into the darkness below them. Draco began thrusting his arms and legs back and forth, running towards his helpless mother.
When he was a mere foot away from Narcissa, Draco reached out his hands, trying to help comfort his mother. Instead, his eyes became, unwillingly, focused on his left arm, where the Dark Mark rested.
The skull and snake, which had been forever encrusted upon his upper-left forearm, was slithering around like it had so often in recent times. Dark, thick raindrops slowly fell upon his skin from nowhere, and he looked up into the luminous, black sky above him.
As he hastily looked back down, his hair matted, the Dark Mark had been covered with blood. Both of his hands and arm were coated in the thick, red liquid. The raindrops turned his blood into a mucky brown color in no time, falling in thick lines onto his sleeve and the dark ground below him.
Startled by a abrupt hand on his shoulder, Draco turned his head to find Lindsey sitting next to him, her blond hair blowing in a non-existent breeze. He tried reaching up to touch her hand, to hold it, but she had faded away, just like his father, into the sea of endless darkness.
Sick of loosing people, Draco curled himself into a little ball, and cried harder than he ever remembered crying. Even in his own mind, the tears came on endlessly, without any sign that they would stop. So Draco just sat there, relinquishing himself from the pain that had endlessly been building up inside of him.
Lindsey watched, troubled, as tears fell from Draco's eyes and onto the bed sheets below. Pansy had still not returned, and she assumed that the girl was turning in missed homework to her professors.
"Draco," Lindsey whispered sympathetically, gently brushing her hand across his arm. Draco didn't feel her hand; Draco didn't feel anything but his pain and suffering in that moment.
More tears fell down his face, dampening the sheets below. Lindsey did the only thing she was capable of doing at that point: watch. It was in that instant that Pansy came strolling into the hospital wing. Her eyes widened as she saw Draco's teary eyes, and rushed over.
"What wrong Draco?" she cried, kneeling down next to his bed. Lindsey was about to explain what had happened when pug-faced Pansy shot her a dirty, loathing glare.
"What the hell did you do to him?" she whispered menacingly. Lindsey was taken aback at how she was being convicted without any explanation whatsoever.
"I didn't do anything!" Lindsey replied, making her voice sound just as dark as Parkinson's, "What right do you have to accuse me?"
Parkinson didn't say anything, but turned her large, fat head to Draco. Lindsey watched, angry, as Pansy's hair swished back and forth around her.
"You were the only one here," Pansy muttered.
"So you assumed it was me!" Lindsey said, her voice much louder than she anticipated.
"Yes, what else could it be?"
"Oh, gee, I don't know!" Lindsey exclaimed, dark humor obvious in the way she spoke, "Perhaps it was because of all the stress he had been dealing with. Trying to escape from Voldemort," -Pansy flinched at the name- "Having his own dad locked up in Azkaban. Not having any allies on any side. Trying to save two muggles as well as his own life. Or perhaps it could be the fact that he had just nearly lost his life, and the recovery process is unbearably painful! I don't know Pansy, I do not know what could possibly be wrong!"
Pansy cringed at her words, knowing that Lindsey was probably right, and looked away guiltily.
"You really need to stop blaming everyone else," Lindsey said after a long silence, "Until you know the full story, and stop thinking that you're always right."
Pansy stared angrily, cold hatred in her expression. Lindsey rolled her eyes, her temper ebbing away rapidly.
More silence passed through the air, and more tears fell from Draco's eyelashes. Lindsey and Pansy didn't speak again until later that night, when Pansy decided to watch Draco so Lindsey could sleep. They fell into this quiet manner over the next few days, Draco sleeping almost consistently, only waking for a few minutes, in which he would only ask how long he has been sleeping and if anything major had happened.
Finally, exactly one week from the time Draco was brought into the hospital, he awoke, feeling rather refreshed.
"Hey," Draco said, sitting up in the bed. Snape, Pomfrey, Lindsey, Pansy, and Malinda all turned to him. Although Malinda was across the room, she still managed to sit up when Draco did, trying to get a better view of what was going on.
"Draco," Pansy said, a weak smile fluttering on her lips, "You're up."
"Yes, I am," Draco replied, looking a bit bemused.
"How…"Snape started, his usual pauses cold, but concerned, "…are you feeling?"
"Great," Draco said, feeling rather foolish in front of all these people; not all that uncommon for him.
"Good. Because you are starting classes again in a few days," Severus said, twitching his mouth into a tight smile.
Draco's lips partet slightly, but otherwise seemed unmoved by his Professor's, and fellow Death Eater's, words. Snape seemed satisfied with Draco's reaction, and strolled out the hospital wing, his cape billowing behind him like black waves.
Draco's hair was unbelievingly messy, but his eyes were light, hopeful even. His body did ache, but not in a necessarily painful way. It was more like the pain you have after exercising your muscles all day long.
"I can't believe him!" Madam Pomfrey cried, looking over at Draco, "He expects you to be out and about, attending classes, in a few days! You're barely awake now!"
"I feel fine," Draco said casually, trying to shrug off everything that had happened to him, "Really. I think I could attend class now, actually."
Lindsey and Pansy's eyes widened, both worried about Draco's well-being, physically and emotionally. Poppy had an absolutely stunned expression on her face.
"No! You are not attending class now, and it would do you well to sleep a few more days. You've lost a lot of weight, and you need me to help fatten you up. For heaven's sake, you're skin and bones!" she cried, throwing her hands up into the air.
Draco shrugged casually, and spun his body around as if he were going to stand up. Indeed, a moment later, that's exactly what he did. Lindsey stood up as well, ready to help him if necessary, but he simply looked around the hospital wing. Poppy, her jaw dropped, gasped, as Draco took a few steps forward.
"Draco!" Pansy shrieked, hastily standing up, nearly causing her stool to topple over.
"What?" Draco asked, turning back to the worried circle, "I feel perfectly fine!"
Malinda was leaning against the headboard, her eyes shocked, and yet blank, as Draco stood across the room from her.
"You need rest, Mister Malfoy!" Madam Pomfrey stated anxiously, rushing over to Draco. He, however, had pulled his wand out on her. Lindsey and Pansy stared, unspeakingly, shocked at Draco's response.
"You…you wouldn't…" Poppy whispered, her own wand lying forgotten on her desk.
"Try me," Draco taunted, shooting a quick glance at Lindsey (or maybe it was Pansy, it was hard to tell, they were both standing unusually close to each other).
Poppy lifted her hands up, a sign of surrender, and inched backwards wearily. Draco didn't lower his wand, but a glassy, thoughtful look was etched across his face.
Memories, horrid memories, of everything that had happened to him, to his father, drifted across his mind. Faded memories of his nightmares were closing in on him, consuming his mind once again into an endless darkness.
Cautiously, unsure of what was happening, Lindsey stepped forward. When she was sure than Draco wasn't going to attack her, she slowly slipped her hand onto his wand arm, pulling it downwards slowly, away from Madam Pomfrey.
"Draco?" she called once Draco's wand was pointing towards the floor, "What's wrong?"
"No…" Draco stated, his voice wavering. Pansy and Malinda hadn't plucked up the nerve to do anything more than gape. Poppy was still backing away, eyeing her forgotten wand that was on her desk with a sudden desperation.
"Draco?" Lindsey repeated, trying to break through whatever thoughts Draco was consumed in.
"No…"Draco replied again, dropping his wand. A loud ftink-ting noise followed the dropped wand as it reached the presence of the cold, marble floor. Madam Pomfrey, finally removing her eyes from Draco, rushed to get her own wand from her desk.
Everything seemed to happen in fast-forward from that moment. As Poppy went to fetch her wand, Draco collapsed, only to be caught by Lindsey's alarmed arms. Pansy finally shifted, and knelt down next to Draco, murmuring his name under her breath. Malinda stood up, staring at Draco with a bewildered expression plastered across her face.
The merciless darkness was swelling up in Draco's body, slowly consuming him once again. His head suddenly felt very heavy, and on his left forearm, he felt the painful sear of the Dark Mark.
Lindsey wasn't sure what was wrong with Draco, whether it was his Mark or simply the fact that his body hadn't recovered. Regardless, she placed her hand on his Mark, which was indeed, slithering back and forth.
"Draco…Draco…" Pansy constantly murmured, trying to be of some use to him. She swept her hand through his hair, letting Draco's head fall against her shoulder. A moment later, Poppy was kneeling next to Draco, muttering a few words under her breath.
Although Madam Pomfrey's wand was illuminated at the tip (which was a sign that she was healing him), Draco continued to moan in pain. His Mark was burning unbearably, not even Lindsey's cool touch was able to relieve it. He could feel Pansy's cold breath on his face, probably muttering some worthless words of comfort to him. Little, multi-colored shapes were beginning to pop up in his vision as Draco desperately tried to hang on to his sanity.
"Draco," Lindsey called, shattering the soundless wall that surrounded Draco's mind. Feeling determined, Draco fought to regain control of his mind and body. Slowly, the stars faded away, and the feeling in his body became more real.
"Draco, you're safe now," Lindsey whispered. Pansy's voice was in the background, still nothing more than an annoying buzzing noise.
Draco tried to say the words 'I know,' but in his condition, it sounded like, "Eh… kn…"
"Shhh," Lindsey cooed, placing her free hand around his waist. Pansy didn't seem to be concerned about this, as she continued blowing her words into Draco's face. He felt himself being pulled upwards and onto the bed, but didn't pay any attention as he was slowly awakening his senses.
After a few short moments, Draco had recovered almost completely. Cautiously, he opened his eyes a fraction of an inch. Pansy appeared to have shut up, as her mouth was no longer moving, and Draco could feel Lindsey cold hand on his mark.
"Draco?" Poppy's voice entered Draco's ears. They must have noticed his minute eye movement.
Carefully, he opened his eyes completely, despite the rushing dizziness of colors that came flooding into view.
"Are you okay?" Pansy cooed, her voice breaking at the end out of worry. Draco nodded, and although it hurt, he sat up. In the same instant, he felt three pairs of hands reach out to his body to push him back down.
"No," Draco said firmly, causing everyone to pause, "I'm fine."
"Mister Malfoy, you are absolutely not fine!" Poppy exclaimed, a stressed kind of harshness in her words.
"I'm fine. Really. It's…It's just the Mark," explained Draco, his voice suddenly much softer than he had intended it to be. Trying to cover it up with a cough, he continued, "It just…took me by surprise. I can handle it now."
Lindsey, Pansy, and Madam Pomfrey all exchanged a fretful look, but Lindsey nodded in agreement.
"Okay, so you're okay," she said, a weak smile on her face, "Now what?" Draco paused for a second before responding lightly.
"I could give you a tour of the castle, if you'd like," Draco said. Lindsey gave him a smile, but Poppy frowned.
"No. You are not to be out of bed," she hassled. Draco rolled his eyes, trying to reassure them that he was in fair health.
"I'm fine. Really. Just the Mark."
"No. You are staying in bed."
"I'm fine!" Draco whined, suddenly sounding much like his old self. Lindsey couldn't help but smile to herself, while Pansy simply stared at Draco.
Madam Pomfrey seemed to loose her patience, and threw her hands up in the air.
"Fine, you go do whatever it is you want. Just know that I tried to help you. So don't you dare complain when you collapse again!" she shouted angrily, walking away from the bed. Draco didn't say anything, but looked down at the marble floor below his feet.
"Not everyone knows you're here Draco," Pansy said after a few awkward moments, "I don't know if it's a good idea to be wandering the castle right now."
"I don't give a damn what they think right now, Pansy," Draco stated matter-of-factly. Pansy's face went slightly pink, but didn't argue with him further.
"She's probably right, for once," Lindsey said, looking a bit gloomy, "The fact that you're here is gossip by itself. They won't be very happy to find out that there are two muggles with you too."
He didn't have anything to say to that, but Draco wasn't going to give up on the chance to get out of the depressing hospital wing.
"Are you afraid of them?" Draco asked, still staring at the floor.
"No," Lindsey said simply.
"Then you shouldn't be worried," he replied.
"I'm not. I'm just saying, I don't want it to bother you, Draco."
"As I said, I don't give a damn about them right now."
"And I don't either."
"Then why don't we go?"
"I'm waiting on you," Lindsey said, causing Draco to smirk.
"Well, I'm ready," he said, standing up; Lindsey followed his example. Pansy remained seated, staring up at Draco with wide, shaken eyes. Malinda was sitting on her bed, watching Lindsey and Draco with a bemused expression.
"You can come too…" Draco said. Malinda considered but shook her head, wanting to give Draco and her daughter some privacy. Lindsey could sense Malinda's reasoning, and gave her a sheepish smile before looking back at Draco.
"It'll be even more interesting if you're going to be wearing a hospital outfit," Lindsey said, giving a quick glance at Draco's light green shirt and pants. This caused Draco to look down, and he became slightly embarrassed that he hadn't caught that fact himself.
"Right," Draco said, eyeing his old clothes wearily.
"They were washed," Pansy whispered, staring at the bed Draco had been sitting in moments earlier. Draco nodded, grabbing them from the nightstand.
Lindsey watched, amused, as Draco threw on his black jacket and cloak. He exchanged a quick glance with Lindsey, before heading out into the corridor, for the first time (conscious at least) in months.
Another chapter, written in about two days. ^^ I just got back from Silverwood, which is why it took me so long. Anyhow, please review, it means a lot! :D Thank you, as always, to Hyruleepona, yugiohx5dsgrl, and steff. It makes me happy to see your guys' reviews! ^-^