And if we dream - Draco Malfoy/ OC
Chapter 29- Shouldn't cry
Summary: Like some magnetic force, like some unbreakable bond she was drawn back to him again and again. And now, staying away was an inconceivable notion. "Always." she murmured, one hand finding his, the other tangling into his platinum hair, "Always."
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Avery was too tense to appreciate the comfort of her favorite chair in the common room. It wasn't often that the chair was empty so she usually reveled in commandeering the seat. Tonight however, the cushions felt hard as stone behind her back as she waited with bated breath for news of what had transpired between Harry and Draco in the hour or so since they had collided in the main hall. No word had been heard from anyone and the silence worried Avery much more than any rumor of a violent duel might.
Avery could see that her other friends felt the same, though undoubtedly in fear for Harry's safety and not that of Draco Malfoy. Of course Avery worried for Harry, she always had since the day they had become friends. Now though, she cared for Draco too and it made the worry double.
"Shouldn't Harry be back by now?" Hermione asked as if reading her mind. She wondered if Hermione had mastered occlumency yet. Probably. Smartest witch of their generation, possibly ever, and all that.
"Yes." Avery grumbled. Eyes on the warm fire. "What if something happened?"
"What if someone got hurt?" Ginny asked, Avery noticed that the youngest Weasley had said 'someone' in the place of 'Harry'. Avery shot her a weak smile.
"Maybe he punched the git." Ron said gleefully. Avery flinched and fisted her hand in the pocket of her robe, frowning when she felt a piece of parchment crumple under her hand. Avery's eyes widened as she remembered Draco dropping the parchment into her lap just minutes before he and Harry fled the great hall. Surreptitiously Avery removed the parchment from her pocket and unfurled it from its scrunched up state.
The written words read:
Red,
Glad to see the ginger one lives, what would the world be without ALL of the Weasley's?
That reminds me, when will you remove that lurid dark colour from your own hair?
I much prefer it red, Red.
Avery bit back a grin, trust Draco to make light of something like Ron's hospitalization, despite the sarcastic tone though there was something warm in the note, something akin to relief, even if only for Avery's wellbeing. He knew her well enough to know that she would not handle losing one of her best friends well at all. She had been extremely emotional when Sirius had been taken from them and they had barely had enough time to know him. No one had suffered as badly as Harry though.
Avery was shaken from her thoughts when the door to the common room opened, in unison the three friends turned towards the door eagerly, relieved to see Harry step through. Averys relief was short lived however when she caught sight of the expression on Harry's face.
Her bespeckled friend was pale, skin clammy, his eyes were wide beneath his glasses and he looked... harrowed. Guilty. Ginny immediately jumped up from her spot beside the fire and held tightly to his forearm, as if she expected him to keel over at any time.
"What did you do Harry?" Avery asked, she had seen that face on Harry before and it never lead to anything good.
"Harry, What happened?" Hermione asked too, just milliseconds after Avery.
"I -" Harry stuttered, flopping gracelessly onto a vacant seat, Ginny moving to hover over him worriedly, "I just came from the hospital wing."
"Are you alright?" Hermione gasped as Avery's eyes raked over Harry, searching for any injuries. There was nothing obvious to see. Her heart began to quicken in her chest. One of them, Harry or Draco had been injured if there had been a visit to the hospital wing.
"I'm okay."
"Did you punch the git?" Ron piped up, shaking in his seat like an overeager puppy. Avery frowned but kept her eyes on Harry.
"I nearly killed him." Harry spoke. Ron laughed but Avery felt her stomach drop out from under her. This was no joke or figure of speech as Ron seemed to think.
"I'm serious Ron." Harry barely whispered, words dripping with guilt. "I thought I'd killed him. I - I used a spell and-"
"What spell Harry?" Hermione asked. Avery remained rooted to her seat, a cold sweat breaking out across her forehead, heart a jackrabbit in her chest.
"Sectumsempra."
"I've never heard of it."
"It was in my book. The half blood prince. He said it was for enemies. He tried to curse me and I just used it, I nearly killed him." Harry explained, unable to lift his eyes from where they were trained on his lap, to look at them
"Is- Is he okay?" Avery choked, ignoring the strange look she received from Hermione and the wide eyed- pitying look Ginny sent her way. Though Ginny still didn't understand Avery's attachment to Draco she still had not said anything to anyone and remained although not without her fair share of doubts, supportive.
"I think so. They sent me away."
Avery nodded. There were a number of things that she could have done in that moment, she could have retreated into her room and waited until the morning, she could have pushed down her worry and carried on as if she had never spoken to Draco Malfoy in a civil manner and seen him truly laugh. She could have punched Harry in his stupid, stupid face. Any of the options may have meant a different path, may have meant that her secret stayed that way for longer, may have meant less to Hermione's ever active brain.
But she did none of those things. Her mind buzzing with static, she spoke, "Harry. I need your cloak."
"What?"
"Now."
"Why?"
"Harry." Avery said, desperation coloring her voice even as she fought against it. "I need your cloak."
"Give it to her Harry," Ginny said, "We're going to go and get rid of that book of yours."
Ginny's voice broke Harry from his questioning stare and he accio'd his invisibility cloak without a second thought. Avery barely mumbled her thanks before throwing the cloak over herself and fleeing the common room. She did not notice Hermione's calculating stare as she did so.
She ran, full speed towards the hospital wing, ignoring the way her footsteps echoed in the deserted halls, if someone came along she would be quieter, they would not be able to see her anyway. The utter panic in her heart frightened her, she shouldn't feel for someone like Draco, someone that up until so little time ago had held nothing but animosity towards her and vice versa. It was unbelievable that she ran like this towards him, towards his injuries. She doubted he would ever do that same for her and she had never imagined that she would ever do this for him, but here she was. Such was the surprises in life.
She slowed to a halt as she reached the hospital wing and listened closely for anyone moving around inside. The nurses were perceptive and she couldn't make so much noise that they heard her even if they couldn't see her. She pushed open the main door quietly, sighing when the door hinges did not betray her. The room before her was dark but light enough to see the shapes of the beds to each side of her. Quickly she passed the empty beds and moved straight towards an occupied bed in the corner. She knew in one look that Draco lay there, the moonlight from the small window above his bed seemingly reflecting from his hair.
She swallowed the heavy lump in her throat and moved towards him on shaky legs, dreading what she would find before her. She would barely be able to see if the moon were not in it's current position but in the washed out light she could see that his face was drawn, more pale than she had ever seen him, blood loss, she guessed when she spied the bandaged wrapped tightly around his bare chest. Blood seeping through the biggest bandage. "What did he do to you?" she whispered. Stiffening when she heard footsteps moving towards them. She froze where she was, barely daring to breath as she watched one of the night nurses make her way to the other side of Draco's bed. The nurse used her wand, to check up on Draco Avery thought. Seemingly satisfied the nurse moved away and Avery let out the breath she had been holding. She moved to the chair beside his bed and sat down silently, still covered by Harry's cloak. She took the moment to look him over properly, apart from the obvious he looks broken down, exhausted, like this is the best sleep he has gotten in a long while. Draco Malfoy is many things, most of them bad and Avery knows, she knows without a doubt that when it comes down to it and it will come down to it in the end, they will be on opposite sides, she and Draco. They are, or will be in the oncoming climate, enemies. But seeing Draco like this, looking so young and small tugs at Avery's heart. She is suddenly so grateful that Draco had turned up in the tower that first night, that he had continued to worm his way into her affections and life outside of class, because had he not, she would not be here now and she cannot bear to think of him alone like this.
Avery wipes a stray tear from her cheek and sniffs, wanting badly to reach out and take a pale hand in hers. They've kissed, they do kiss, and it's great but to be here now, to reach out and provide comfort even if he is unaware of it is more intimate than Avery can explain.
"Avery?" Draco mumbled from his bed, his voice laced with pain and underline with what was no doubt a strong painkiller. Avery stopped her on coming sigh and held herself still, perhaps he was just hallucinating. "I know you're there." She blinked when she noticed his eyes turned towards exactly where she is sat and had to fight the urge to check she is still covered by the cloak.
"Yeah" she whispered, "I'm here."
"I know." Draco smiled dreamily, probably not feeling much pain due to some spell or drug given to him, "I always know when you're around. Her hair is so bright."
Avery smiled tearily and sniffed again "It's dark in here."
"I always know." Came the raspy but insistent reply. "Don't cry. She's too pretty to cry. Why is the moon smiling?"
Avery choked back a chuckle, if she didn't know better she would think Malfoy was drunk. "Go to sleep, Draco." she said softly, soothingly, so as not to attract attention.
"M'not tired." He replied, even as his voice softened with sleep.
Avery smiled as Malfoy opened his mouth again even with his eyes clamped shut, "Shouldn't cry." Then his breathing evened out and he was sleeping again. Avery moved and ran a soft hand through his hair. She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his clammy forehead, "Night Draco." She whispered before settling back down into the uncomfortable chair, Harry's cloak shielding her a little from the chill. She wasn't leaving him tonight.
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