Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise, nor anything affiliated with it.

Draco's POV

As soon as Madam Pomfrey dismissed us from the hospital wing I got my stuff together as quickly as I could in my weakened state. Funnily enough, I don't feel like I'm going to die or anything. I don't feel too much pain from all of the stuff affecting me right now, I just feel annoyed that it's preventing me from being efficient. I hate being seen as weak and incapable. I just want to get all of this over with. I couldn't care less about what happens to me, but now Hermione has to help me get to class and I have a lot of trouble doing really simple things like getting across the room.

We exit the hospital wing as soon as possible and go back to our dorm. It takes us awhile to get up there because I'm not used to using crutches for extended periods of time and I haven't tried using the stairs yet. My knees hurt the worst especially when I bend and then stretch them. It feels like I'm pulling the muscles apart when I do so and it just feels weak.

The most annoying thing though is the stab of dull pain in my legs whenever I take a step and the feeling that I'm going to collapse at any given time. It's very consistent and is just a reminder that I probably will never be able to walk with the ease I used to have. Putting pressure on my legs is a matter of balancing my weight properly and I have to rely on my arms for a lot of support. The leg cast really doesn't help either because now my weight it uneven.

Because all of this so difficult, I can only take the stairs one at a time and not two at a time like I used to do. Hermione is very patient with me the whole time and talks to keep my mind off what I'm doing for a bit. I notice she stands a little bit in front of me when we go down the stairs and a little behind me when we go up, presumably in case I fall.

We finally get to our room and she says the password to let us in. Once we get inside I walk up the stairs to my bedroom and sit on my bed. I carefully remove my laptop, a couple of my sudoku books, and a couple of other things that were in there just for the airplane trip. When I've finished emptying the less important things from my bag, I slowly get back up again and head back down to wait for Hermione.

Another thing that bothers me quite a bit is the transition from sitting to standing. When I've been sitting for more than say 5 minutes, my joints get stiff and hurt a lot later when I get up again and stretch them. It takes a couple tries of straightening my legs before I can just about stand on them. Because of this, when I get downstairs I stay standing even though my legs are tired. Thankfully Hermione doesn't take very long and we leave very to the Great Hall after about 8 minutes.

Lunch is a fairly simple event, with me spending most of my time eating and Hermione spending most of her time talking with our friends. From what I heard of conversation, they were talking about Luna being really good at listening to people's problems and helping them understand how to let them go. I totally agree with them based on what I've experienced around her.

I remember back in sixth year I confided in Myrtle Warren, or Moaning Myrtle as most of the school disrespectfully calls her, about the stress I was going through about my mission. However she wasn't the only one I talked to. One night that year I had just finished my daily session of trying to fix the broken vanishing cabinet when I found Luna wandering the halls.

I quietly sneak out of the Room of Requirement and shut the door as softly as possible. I'm very tired after yet another failed attempt to fix the cabinet.

I'm careful to keep away from the windows and torches, staying only in the shadows. I'm almost to the Slytherin dormitories when I see Luna walking by the windows. She's slowly walking and looking out at the sky wearing a soft white dress. Her hand delicately trails on the window and her head is tilted in curiosity at the world outside. I look at her for awhile and absorb the peacefulness of the picture before me. I'm about to turn away and keep walking when she says something.

"Don't leave yet Draco, you haven't seen the moon yet." Her words startle me since she hasn't turned around yet so I don't know how she realized I was there. I respond as politely as possible to reduce the risk of her telling someone she saw me out here.

"Pardon?"

"The sky is really pretty tonight, it would be shame if you left before you got to properly enjoy this. Don't worry about us being disturbed, I've befriended Ms. Norris so she won't tell Filch and she should warn us if anyone is coming this way. She's the one who told me that you were coming. Don't worry, I don't have eyes at the back of my head, though I don't understand why anyone would want that in the first place.."

I don't know what to say so I just walk over carefully and stand next to her.

"I know by the way that you've spent a while in the Room of Requirement recently. I know you're behind the attacks." I take a sharp breath in when she says this. Have I really been this obvious? How come Potter and his gang haven't realized what I'm up to then? Well, I mean it's Potter and he isn't very observant at all. Hermione though should have realized that something's up.

"I don't blame you for it though. If my mother was alive and my family was threatened, I wouldn't want to defy the person responsible either. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to that."

I'm honestly shocked by how much she knows. There must be a lot more to her than meets the eye. I wonder how much she knows about all of us. I wonder how much she knows about Potter; perhaps she can spy on him for me.

"My mum told me before she died that I have good emotional smarts and that I should use them to help people. So I do, I people watch and assist them when needed. I just want you to know Draco, that I think that you'll do the right thing in the end. It won't be an easy thing to do, but you'll get through it. You have good in you, you just have to let it out when the time is right."

Before I realize what I've done, I've slid down the wall and I'm crouching against it with my head in my hands. All the pent up frustration and emotion from the past few weeks is begging to be released right now. With tears starting to roll down my cheeks I start to explain myself to her.

"It's just so hard, I don't want to do this. I don't want to be responsible for their accidents. But if I don't do the deed someone else will do it and it will be so much worse. I try to fumble up as much as possible without angering Voldemort to point where he hurts my parents. It's just so hard, I didn't ask for this!" I start to cry in earnest and I hear some shuffling next to me. I assume that Luna's left me alone like everyone else in my life, but when I look up I see her crouching next to me with a gentle expression on her face.

"It's alright Draco. I believe in you. None of us asked for this, that would be silly. None of us deserve our predicament, not even you despite what you may think. However, we have to do the best with the cards we've been dealt and I think you're doing the best you can with your hand." She puts her arm around me and sits with me as cry everything out.

When I finally choke back the sobs and swallow them down, she gives me a smile and then says goodbye.

"Good night Draco, we should probably head back before the sun rises and the moon sets. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this. Just remember that if you ever want to talk to me, you know how to find me." When she finishes she drifts back off in the direction of what I assume are the Ravenclaw dormitories.

I'm pulled out of my daze when Hermione taps my shoulder. I look up at her and see that she's packed up her stuff which means that lunch is probably over or at least almost done. I nod and grab my bag from the ground. I carefully grab my crutches and pull myself up with them after stretching my knees. We then slowly make our way up to our dorm once again.

We get inside and start to discuss what we are going to do this afternoon. Since we were released from the hospital wing in the middle of the day, McGonagall decided to let us take the afternoon off as well.

"So Draco, what do you want to do now? We have the entire afternoon to recuperate before class tomorrow. I think we should probably go to bed at a decent time seeing as how we don't have any homework right now, but other than that I don't really know."

"Well, I was thinking that maybe I could call my house elf Bipsy and have her make us some hot chocolate, chocolate, and some small pastries since we won't get a chance to really do that till Christmas break which is in about 3 weeks. I was also thinking that we could do this while watching another muggle film. Are there any films you really like that are completely different from the action films we've watched recently?" I'm genuinely curious to know what other films there are out there, and what other films Hermione like music, it gives me insight into her personality because our choices in media often reflect how we view the world and ourselves.

"That's a great idea! There's actually a trilogy of movies that I really like and haven't watched in awhile. It's very different from the stuff we've seen so far, and I think this afternoon is the perfect time to binge watch it all." She is very happy and starts to jump in excitement.

"Cool, what's it called?" I ask since she's so excited she's forgotten to tell me what it is.

"Well first of all, I'm going to get you sitting down on the couch before you fall over." With that, she half 'shoo's and half helps me over to the couch and then plugs her laptop in to the small projector we bought in Diagon Alley a couple weeks back. She points it at the white wall and gets up to get a couple spare blankets and pillows for us to curl up with. While she gets stuff set up, I summon Bipsy to our room. She appears with the usual pop as soon as I call her.

"Master, Bipsy awaits your orders." She says as she bows.

"Bipsy, I was wondering if you could make some hot chocolate, cookies, and pastries for Hermione and I. You can choose the flavours and what ingredients you use, the kitchen is over there and you can use whatever you need from the kitchens as well."

"As you wish master. Bipsy also would like to inform you that Malfoy manor is in excellent condition and there have been no incidents during your absence."

"Excellent Bipsy, you may now carry out your orders, also I will include a bonus in your contract for this extra work. No buts, this wasn't part of your original contract."

She nods and then scurries off to start cooking. I quickly pull my phone out of my bag to make a reminder to add the bonus to her contract. During that time, Hermione has returned with the blankets and cushions, and a flash drive. I look at the flash drive with a curious expression and Hermione notices.

"I keep copies of my favourite movies on here so I can watch them on my computer without needing to download it or bring the dvd. Okay, so the film series we're going to watch is called High School Musical. The video quality is kind of blurry for the first film, but the movie's kind of old so it's to be expected." She then fiddles around with her computer for a little longer and then starts it up. She walks over to the couch and then brings a blanket for us to snuggle under.

The movie is actually really good and the dance is pretty cool though I would never admit it to anyone other than Hermione, or maybe Blaise, just because it would destroy my reputation. Sharpay is really annoying and frankly reminds me of Pansy, but what really reminds me of our world is Troy and Gabriella. They, like Hermione and I, are so drastically different from each other except for their shared love of music. In fact, Troy's dad actually reminds me of my own father, though perhaps not as evil. There are many parallels between our two stories and I can see why Hermione likes it so much. Though I would hate to admit it to most people, the songs are really catchy and I actually enjoy them quite a bit.

We are about halfway through the first movie when Bipsy comes over with a tray two steaming mugs of hot chocolate; complete with peppermint candy canes, chocolate syrup, marshmallows, and whipped cream. On the tray is also a small plate of sugar cookies. I quietly thank Bipsy and pass Hermione a mug. We continue watching the movie and when it's over, Hermione gets up to start the second one. As she does this, I tell what I thought of it.

"That was actually really good, though I don't want the whole world to find out that I thought so, it would destroy my fearsome image." She laughs as I say this, and I smile as well. "You know, Sharpay reminds me of Pansy, she's just as needy and latched on to Troy as Pansy is to me." At this, Hermione doubles over laughing. When she calms down a bit she replies.

"Does that make us Troy and Gabriella?"

"Yes, I think it does."

"Good, because I was thinking the same thing. Though if we continues on this path, that would mean that McGonagall is Mrs. Darbus, Harry is Ryan, and Ron is kind of like Chad... Sort of." I laugh at her words and we both sit enjoying the jokes for a bit.

We spend the rest of the evening watching the films and I have a lot of fun watching these movies. It's a nice change from the usual slightly depressing action films and our own action packed lives. It's nice watching something so light-hearted and cheerful. I've always thought of romances as really sappy and boring, but these movies pulled it off in a wonderful way with lots of powerful life lessons packed into it.

Bipsy comes over to us in the middle of the second film with a tray of assorted pastries. There are spinach and cheese pastries, ricotta and ham pastries, strawberry and cream cheese pastries, and apple pastries. The pastry is so light, fluffy, and crispy, while the filling is rich and filling. They're all warm and stay that way throughout both the films. We polish off all the food Bipsy makes for us by the end and she comes over when we're done to clear the dishes. When she finishes i say goodbye to her and dismiss her back to the manor.

"I really enjoyed tonight, the food was good and I liked watching my childhood movies with you. It's about 7:20 right now, and i think we should get an early night's sleep before the next week since tomorrow is Tuesday and we aren't getting another chance like this for another month."

"I agree with both your points. The films were great, and it was nice to take my mind off of the dreariness of our lives. It was nice to be happy for a while. I'm actually pretty tired myself."

We both then move to get up, with me stretching first. I hobble up the stairs to my room leaving my crutches in the common room and leaning on the handrail instead while on the stairs. I go after Hermione so that she can get up faster and use the bathroom before me.

When I get up I carefully open the door and stumble over to my bed. I feel really lethargic and just lie there looking at the ceiling patterns. The wallpaper is covered in little green vines with the occasional snake here and there. I love looking at patterns as they are so complicated. They fascinate me to no end and I find them so beautiful and delicate. They also remind me a lot of the flowers and plants in the gardens in Malfoy Manor. I just stare at my surroundings for a while and wait for Hermione to finish in the bathroom.

When she's done, she knocks on my door and tells me the bathroom is now free. I get up and make my way to the bathroom after dragging myself off of my bed. I walk in and brush my teeth while sitting on the stool in the bathroom. Once I'm done, I carefully walk back to my bed by leaning on the wall get changed into my pyjamas. When I'm done changing, I flop onto my bed and sink into the mattress. I curl up as carefully as possible under my sheets and fall into a peaceful sleep that is made so much better by the fact that I'm back in my own bed.

Author's Note: Draco's leg problems are actually based off of my own experiences. I had a gymnastics injury about two years back where I compressed the joints in my knees and ankles by ramming into a brick wall with straight legs. So the descriptions of his problems and how he deals with them, for example the braces, are based of actual stuff and aren't completely made up, though they are made slightly more dramatic. Thanks for all of your support guys, I love hearing feedback or even just critisism, it is very important to improve writing. I hope you all have wonderful week, till next time!