"Hey Bri, it's me, Lyn. I miss you. Blaise misses you. Draco even misses you." I said softly to the sleeping boy before me. "You missed Halloween." My breathing hitched, "There was a big feast and we did Rocky Horror, I was Janet. Draco wasn't too happy about the whole underwear thing, but who cares." I laughed shakily. "Sev says that you're fine, everything's fine, so just wake up." Tears began to wet my cheeks, "Come on, Bri, just wake up." He didn't move. "Thanksgiving is in a few days, you have to be awake. They're having a feast again." Nothing, "Damnit Brian, just wake up!" I was sobbing by now. Words could not describe the pain I was feeling. "I need you! Blaise needs you. You selfish jackass just wake up!" Still nothing. "Please." I sobbed. Still he remained silent, as he always did. Nothing would wake him, we couldn't use spells or potions and hope was dwindling. Draco came to visit only when I insisted, and Blaise had stopped coming all together. I think it broke his heart more than anything else to see Brian laying there unmoving. There was nothing we could do, and that was the worst pain of all.

"Miss. Hasting, visiting hours are over." Madame Pomfrey said gently when she saw me.

"Sorry, I was just-"I whipped my tears quickly, unable to finish my sentence for fear of crying once more.

"I know dear," She smiled, "You can come back tomorrow if you wish."

"I'll see you then," I nodded failing to smile. As I exited the hospital wing that had become more of a house to me in the past two months I was unable to keep my tears at bay any longer. Gripped with a knot of pain in my stomach I slid down the wall next to me and sobbed harder than before.

"Gwendolyn?" A voice called, walking towards me. "Are you alright?"

"No," I cried as I looked up into the face of Hermione Granger, "He won't wake up."

"Hush now," She comforted me, sliding down the wall and placing her arm over my shoulders. "You'll be okay." Her words stopped me for a moment. For the first time since the accident someone had regarded the situation without bringing Brian into it. Hermione didn't say 'he'll be okay' or 'it's okay' she said I'd be okay. And would I? My tears had subsided as I mulled over this idea, and Hermione took that as a sign. "Let's get you to bed, yeah?"

"Okay." I surrendered, and like a child she led me to the Slytherin common room. We walked in silence for what felt like an eternity before I broke it. "What do you think I should do?" I said unfeelingly.

"What?"

"What do you think I should do?" I asked again.

"You could move on and forget all about him for the moment, and just pretend you don't care if he wakes up." She looked at my expression of horror and smiled a bit like she'd been kidding. "Or, you could put it on the back burner; focus on your studies to distract yourself. It's a way of ignoring the fact that he isn't with you."

"Is that what you do with Ron?" I asked quietly.

"What?" Hermione asked with red tinged cheeks.

"Do you focus on your studies to ignore the fact that Ron isn't with you? "I clarified.

She was quiet for a while as we continued walking. Over the past two months I'd grown quite close to the group of Gryffindors and had wondered why Ron and Hermione weren't together. It was blatantly obvious that the two of them were completely in love with each other, but both of them were too stubborn to budge first. "Yes," she finally said "I focus on my studies to forget about Ronald."

"But why?"

"I'm scared," she answered after a while.

"You're scared?" I almost laughed, "He's practically in love with you!"

"Stop it, he is not."

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard" I rolled my eyes.

"Well, even if he is he would never ask me out." She sighed, picking up her pace.

"You could ask him out." I shrugged as I trudged behind her.

"What?" She asked, turning to face me.

"You could ask him out." I repeated. "This isn't the dark ages, you're a strong woman, and you should be able to make the first move."

"What if he says no?" She looked back at me unsurely, and I could tell that she was genuinely concerned.

I snorted at the display before me. "Yeah, right." I said sarcastically. We'd reached the common room by now, and I was almost sad to see Hermione leave, but I knew she needed to do this tonight. "Hey Hermione," I called.

"Yes?" She asked, turning around to look back at me.

"Break a leg." I shrugged. She smiled at me as she ran off towards the Gryffindor house with a new kind of pep in her step. Slowly, I turned toward the portrait of Salazar Slytherin and spoke the password quietly. Without a sound I walked up to the seventh year boy's dorm and saw the curtains on Draco's bed pulled. Instead of knocking, as usual, I bypassed the first step and climbed into bed with my fiancé. He jumped, but soon realized it was me.

"Doll," he whispered, but upon seeing my face quieted drastically. "You're okay." He soothed me without being prompted. Yet, there was that phrase again, and for the second time tonight I really wondered if he was right; if they both were.

Am I okay?

GHDM

Christmas was coming up, and still Brian was unconscious. There was something odd about the silence in the dormitories today. The PASOM boys rarely laughed anymore, and I felt like I was tiptoeing around them, unable to speak for fear of breaking the sullen silence. Doll had practically moved into my bed, not that I was complaining, but it was more for comfort than for pleasure. Thankfully though, she'd stopped spending all her free time in the hospital wing. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays were spent in there, and every other waking moment was devoted to school. I wasn't forgotten, but I wasn't a priority. Gwendolyn Hasting had become a shell who rarely spoke, and barely ate. She looked frail and tired, her smile no longer reached her eyes and her kisses were as obligatory as ever. I loved her, but I was beginning to wonder if she would ever be able to love me too.

"Doll," I called to the girl cuddled against my side, "What are you doing for Christmas?"

She was silent for a long time, "I don't know." She finally answered.

"Will you come home with me?" I asked delicately, wondering if she would even consider leaving Brian alone in the castle for three weeks.

"Okay." She sighed, looking up into my eyes sadly. "Brian's mum is coming here for Christmas."

"Then you should stay." I rewound, not caring that I would spend my Christmas without her.

"I can't" She said tearfully. "I can't look at her, not now."

"It's not your fault love." I replied, cupping her face in my hands and whipping away her tears with my thumbs. "None of this is your fault."

"It's mine." A voice behind us said numbly.

"Blaise," I started.

"No, Draco, this is all, my fault and you both know it. So stop the pretending, both of you, if it weren't for me Brian would be fine." He declared without feeling.

"Blaise, this isn't anyone's fault." I tried again.

"Draco's right." Gwendolyn whispered. "There's nothing either of us could have done to prevent this." I was almost stunned, I'd been telling her that for months but she'd never acknowledged me. "We have to be strong for when he wakes up, or else he'll fall apart."

"Is Gwendolyn Hasting here?" A small voice called out to the common room.

"Yes," Doll stood up.

"Madame Pomfrey sent me to tell you that you're needed in the hospital wing. She said it was an emergency." The first year stumbled. Immediately Doll ran out of the common room without so much as a word to Blaise and me. The two of us looked at each other and followed.

For a girl so small, Gwendolyn was fast. We didn't catch up to her until she'd reached the hospital wing. She stood at the entrance, unblinking. "Gwendolyn?" I asked gently. She turned to me with wide eyes.

"What if he's dead?" She murmured.

"What if he isn't?" I replied. There was a look in her eyes that I'd never seen before in my life, one that I would remember until the day that I died. Her hand reached up to my face, where she cupped it gently. Without warning she kissed me with more feeling than ever. Words cannot describe the heat or the passion of that kiss, and as we stood there in front of the hospital wing kissing words could not describe the love I had for this woman.

Almost as quickly as it had started it was over and with the innocence of a child; Doll put her hand in mine and led me into the hospital wing. As the doors swung open I nearly said the words I'd been dying to say, yet something stopped me. It was a small thought in the back of my head that was always there.

Am I okay?

GHDM

I ran to him as soon as I saw his eyes, the eyes that I had been unable to look at for so long. They blinked in confusion as I ran, but widened in realization as I neared. He was sitting up with the help of pillows; he was so weak he couldn't do it himself. As I held him to me, his eyes filled with tears yet he did not say anything. "You're okay." I cried into his chest. He nodded in reply. I repeated those words over and over again as if they were some kind of mantra. For a while I sat there, forgetting about everyone else in the room. Then I felt Brian begin to move away from me. I looked into his eyes to see a look I'd never seen before. Following his gaze, I knew exactly what that look was.

"Blaise," He croaked like a man who hadn't spoken in years. "I'm sorry."

I felt a hand pull me away from my best friend, as Blaise ran into his arms. "I'm sorry," Blaise whispered through his tears. And then I realized how wrong this moment was. Looking at the man who held his hand in mine, I led him away so that we might give the two of them some privacy.

"He's okay." I said once the doors to the hospital wing were closed behind us.

"Told you so," Draco replied cheekily.

"I'm sorry," I whispered after a moment.

"What could you possibly be apologizing for?" He asked with a smirk.

"Don't give me that look," I blushed, "You know exactly what I'm apologizing for. I've been nothing for almost 3 months now."

"You're not nothing," he said seriously.

"I said I've been nothing. It wasn't fair to you."

"You know what hasn't been fair, Doll?" he asked me, pushing a strand of hair from my face.

"What?" I blushed again.

"Everything," he murmured.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, confused and almost angry.

"Your brother dying," He began

"What?"

"This whole engagement," He said.

"Excuse me?"

"You're coming here." He smirked.

"Where is this going?"

"Brian getting hurt," he continued.

"Draco Malfoy-"I began but was cut off by his finger to my lips.

"The fact that I'm completely in love with, but so afraid to say so in case you don't love me too," he finished.

"What?" I asked.

"I love you." He replied. He stood waiting for me to answer him, but my mouth couldn't form the words that I wanted so desperately to say. Slowly his face faltered, his shy smile returned to the mask he'd once worn so long ago before 'everything'.

"Gwen," A voice behind me called, "Brian wants to see you."

"I'll be there in a second." I said without looking back. I waited to hear the door close. "Drake."

"Yes, Gwendolyn." He replied stonily, barely glancing in my direction.

"Look at me." I begged. His glance barley wavered. "I'm so sorry."

I turned away from him, unable to look at the mask any longer. As I walked towards the door I couldn't help but let the tears run down my face, and allow the words I wanted so much to say race through my mind unspoken.

I love you too.

GHDM