McGonagall smiled as she stood in front of the students at breakfast, which made them all nervous until she gave the news. "You all know the situation with Miss Dracaena. I am pleased to inform you that as of last night, she has awoken. Now, you aren't to go rushing in to bother her, she still has to recover. This goes to show that there is strength against the Dark Lord and his servants, and that there is always hope." The hall erupted in cheers. A sick student was nothing new, but one, a well-loved student, that had saved the boy who lived during the Tri-Wizard Tournament that had been mostly dead for two weeks after being cursed by Lord Voldemort? That was something to celebrate.

Evelyn awoke to being rudely shaken. "Evelyn! Evelyn!" She scowled and opened her eyes to Cole, who was frantically trying to wake her. He breathed a huge sigh of relief, "I thought you had left me again." Evelyn rubbed her eyes. Her back hurt from sleeping while sitting up. Well, everything hurt, but her back hurt more.

Draco was gone from the bed beside her.

Cole gave her another potion and brushed her hair gently. Evelyn smiled when he did this, it felt so nice. He washed her face with a cool cloth. She glanced out the window. Dawn was stretching her pale fingers over the morning sky. Madam Pomfrey wandered over, checking on Evelyn. "Are you hungry?" Evelyn nodded, suddenly aware of the gnawing ache in her stomach. Of course, she hadn't eaten in two weeks, so she was quite literally starving. She could only imagine how she looked.

Evelyn first drank the water that was offered to her, then she began to nibble at the soft bread and butter, with the crust removed, that was fed to her by Cole. Once finished, she felt much better and tried to talk. "Thank you." Her voice was still scratchy and it still hurt, but she didn't feel so breathless.

Neville was the first to visit, along with Luna Lovegood. He sat down beside her, grinning. "McGonagall told everyone the news this morning. Everyone is glad you're awake." Evelyn didn't think she was worth all that attention, but Neville insisted that she was. He looked down, "you screamed for four days. They put a charm around you so the injured could rest, but I could still see you. That kind of pain..." He began crying. "My parents..." He took a shaky breath. "My parents were tortured by that same curse, and they've been put in Saint Mungo's for the rest of their lives because they're completely empty." Evelyn reached out to him weakly. He caught her hand before it fell. "With Cedric dead and Harry nearly out of his mind, we were all in a state of shock, but then Dumbledore brought you through, and you wouldn't stop screaming and struggling. They said you had nine curses over you at once." Evelyn squeezed his hand. "Neville..." He was crying. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, "then they said you wouldn't wake up. I couldn't bring myself to visit after the second time..." Evelyn pulled on him a bit, getting his attention. "Poem?" Neville tilted his head, then realized, "oh, the poem I read you?" He smiled sheepishly. "I read you a poem my mama used to read to me when I was sick." Evelyn didn't question him further.

Luna was writing in a notebook. She looked up, "I'm taking notes for the Quibbler." She asked with a serious face in that far-away voice of hers, "did you really drop-kick you-know-who?" Evelyn smiled a bit and nodded. "Didn't know," she breathed, "who he was." Luna nodded and wrote something.

Fred and George visited next. They brought her chocolate. They fed it to her, one piece at a time. It was the kind that had melted chocolate in the middle and was easy to chew. She smiled warmly and thanked them both.

"You look like a skeleton, Eve," Fred joked in a soft voice. There was a great sadness behind his smile. "If I hold your hand too much, will it dissolve?" Evelyn squeezed his hand gently. George tried to make the conversation normal, "Harry won the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Well, he tied for it, but Cedric..." The effort failed. Evelyn let out a shaky sigh.

"Dumbledore wants to question you, as does that Skeeter woman, but Madam Pomfrey wont let Skeeter past the doors, and Cole wards off anyone else." Fred smiled a bit. "Your brother is an interesting character." Evelyn nodded, but her mind was still on Cedric. She hadn't been aware enough to save him. She felt horribly guilty.

Cole wandered over. "Excuse me, Fred, George," he clearly didn't know which was which. "I have a favour to ask." The twins nodded. Cole gave Evelyn the honey-mint potion and began talking. "I'd like to know if Mrs. Weasley would be kind enough to house Evelyn over the summer. She can't stay here, and she certainly can't return to clan life in this state, and I refuse to send her to your wizarding hospital, Saint Mungus or whatever. Could you ask her for me? I don't know her well enough to do it myself." The two answered immediately, "of course!" They kissed Evelyn's cheeks, "we have to go to class now. We'll send an owl right after." They left the infirmary.

Evelyn slept through the day, only waking to take the potion and to eat some chocolate pudding in the afternoon. That evening, she awoke to Cole gently waking her, with Ernie standing behind him, a book tucked under his arm. Evelyn smiled and held out her hand to him. He was grinning. "You're awake. You're finally awake." Ernie took her hand and sat down in a chair. "I suppose you can't talk much yet. I've been reading to you, while you've been here." Evelyn nodded. Ernie opened his book with his free hand. "Can I read to you some more?" "Please." Ernie cleared his throat and began to read. Evelyn watched his face as he read.

"But especially he loved to run in the dim twilight of the summer midnights, listening to the subdued and sleepy murmurs of the forest, reading signs and sounds as a man may read a book, and seeking for the mysterious something that called - called, waking or sleeping, at all times, for him to come." Ernie took a breath, ready to read the next line, but the door opened just then, and Draco Malfoy himself walked in. He seemed surprised to see Ernie there, then checked the grandfather clock by the hearth. "Oh, apologies." Ernie shook his head, "feel free to join us." Draco sat down beside Ernie, seemingly stiff. Ernie smiled a bit, "relax, Malfoy, I wont tell anyone that you have a heart." Draco scoffed, but he relaxed a bit.

Ernie continued to read, squeezing Evelyn's hand every so often, as if afraid that he would lose her forever if he let go. Evelyn began to feel thirsty, and her mouth felt dry. When Ernie paused to take a breath, she asked "water..." Draco got up and got a glass of water, holding it to her lips and tilting it so she could drink. "Thanks." She smiled and he nodded, sitting back down.

Ernie finished the chapter. He stood and kissed Evelyn's hand. "I'll be back tomorrow. Make sure you're here when I come." Evelyn smiled and nodded and watched him go. She then looked at Draco, who was staring out the window. "Draco." He turned to look at her, his steely grey gaze softening. Evelyn smiled a bit. "Dance?" Draco chuckled and shook his head, "you cant dance. You cant even sit up on your own."

(If you've ever seen the movie The Christmas Shoes, I'm so sorry)

Evelyn looked away. She knew that, of course, but she had a strong urge to feel the same way she felt at the ball, graceful and powerful and beautiful, even though she was so weak. Draco stood suddenly, and removed the blanket from over her legs. He bowed to her and asked, "may I have this dance?" She nodded, wondering what he was going to do.

Draco picked her up, bridal style. She put her arms around his neck. He began doing the simple dance steps with her in his arms, smiling softly as he rested his forehead against hers. He swayed and stepped around to some unheard music, looking into her eyes as he danced. Evelyn couldn't stop a wide smile from spreading across her face.

"Thank you."

I know I've been focusing a lot on Malfoy lately, but worry not, the twins will get lots of love, too.