AN: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!
This is the longest time between my updates and I am so sorry! I really hope you enjoy this chapter after such a long wait :)
Chapter 37
Draco woke up, blinking at the harsh light streaming through the window. After a few moments his eyes adjusted and he opened them to look around properly. He was in the hospital wing… but he didn't know how he had gotten there.
To his left, there was a bed with an occupant. He could tell from the dirty blonde hair that it was Luna. What had happened after he had jumped into the lake?
Draco moved to sit up but the suddenness of his actions caused his head to spin. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Madame Pomfrey?" he called out. His voice was scratchy from disuse, telling him that he had been in the hospital wing for some time.
At his summons, the matron came bustling around the corner with two vials in her hands. Draco hoped that one of them was for the splitting headache he was experiencing.
"Take these," she said, thrusting them both at him. As he lifted the first vial to his lips, he saw her move over to where Luna was laying. Apparently, what she saw disappointed her for she returned with a frown. "That one is for pain relief and this one is nausea," she said, pointing to the appropriate ones.
Draco nodded and gulped them both down, gladly noticing that the pain and nausea was already beginning to leave. He wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve and looked up to see Madame Pomfrey looking at him with an expression of surprise.
"Is something wrong?" asked Draco, confused at her sudden change in demeanour.
"Not at all," she answered. "I was just going to give you a handkerchief to wipe your mouth with."
Draco realised that she was shocked at his actions; a pureblood always used a handkerchief. Using sleeves was something one would expect off of a Weasley.
Then he felt slightly guilty; Ginny was a Weasley and she wasn't all that bad.
"I'll leave you to rest, Mr Malfoy," said Madame Pomfrey. "Your friends waned to visit earlier in the day but you weren't awake. I will let them know that they're free to come down now that you are."
Draco smiled. "Thank you, Madame Pomfrey."
The second time he woke up, it was in the middle of the night. He yawned and looked for the source of what had woken him to find that Luna was shifting in her bed. He hadn't seen her move during the entire time he had been in the hospital wing.
"Luna?" he whispered.
He didn't get an answer. There was more shuffling and then a wince. Draco grimaced; clearly Luna was going through the same thing he had.
Swinging his feet over the edge of the hospital bed, Draco grabbed his wand from the stand next to it and padded over to a cupboard. Madame Pomfrey kept some of the less potent medicines she used inside it. With a muttered Alohomora he had it open and pulled out two bottles of the potions Madame Pomfrey had given him and an extra vial.
Once he reached Luna's bed, he put the bottles on the stand next to her bed and poured a small amount of each potion into the caps. When he turned to look at Luna, he wasn't surprised to see that her eyes were open. That headache would definitely wake someone up.
Draco helped Luna to sit up, trying not to move her too quickly to avoid her feeling any more nauseous than she already did. One of her hands was clutching his shirt as he used his to help her drink the potions.
Only when her grip relaxed did he know that they had worked.
She smiled at him and whispered a hoarse, "Thank you."
Draco nodded in acknowledgment and said, "Don't worry about it." He lifted up the extra vial he had brought with him. "Take this; you need your rest," he said, handing her the sleeping draught.
She took it without question and Draco couldn't help but feel terrible that she trusted him. With what happened in the holidays still plaguing him, Draco knew that he could have had the dark mark on his forearm and she still would have taken that potion, trusting that he was a good person.
You were happier with her.
You and Luna had a good… thing.
Blaise and Theo's words from before the holidays echoed in his mind as Luna's head sunk into his lap. She was fast asleep.
I'd love to hear what you thought of the chapter :)