Nil Dormiendum
All was still in the Tower. The ghosts wandered mournfully from room to room illuminating the sleeping figures as they passed them by. There was one boy who was not still. He tossed and turned fretfully. A moan escaping every now and again into the stillness of the night air.
He was trapped in a hellish nightmare, rushing through endless blackness to a point of light seemingly eons away.The roaring was growing louder. He opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by cruel mocking faces. They laughed and taunted him. He tried to get up but found he was pinned to the floor. His father was leaning over him, a small ornate knife glittering in the moonlight. He tried to scream for help but he was frozen, he couldn't breathe. The knife cut into him, the pain was excruciating. Still he couldn't cry out. The room began to spin and the faces blurred. His father's voice became distorted and strange. Fuzzy blackness claimed him.
Abruptly the boy woke from his dream. The terrible pain had gripped his heart and spread out to his shoulders. He was burning everywhere but where the pain was he was cold like ice. Gasping he sat up. A wave of dizziness overcame him and he put out a hand to steady himself. After a few moments the pain and dizziness had faded and he staggered out of his dormitory to the bathroom. He splashed cold water onto his hot face. It mingled with the sweat and stung as it ran into his eyes. His reflection stared back at him out of the mirror, blonde hair slick with sweat and stuck out from his tossing, eyes with dark circles from lack of sleep and his face was paler than ever. He looked like a ghost. "Draco you look like death" the boy mumered to the mirror. His head began to swim again. He slumped against the door frame miserably. "You have to go to Madame Pomfrey now, your ill, who cares about family honour" he told himself. Gritting his teeth and feeling the wall for support he shuffled painfully down the corridor out of Slytherin Tower.
The corridors seemed narrow and cramped in the darkness. The sallow glow of the dungeon lights seemed dim and brighten with every step. "Keep going" he told himself. The stabbing sensation got steadily worse.
"Only a little longer". As the whole corridor started to twist in front of him like some slivery dragon he put a hand out to steady himself. It was to much, he was so disorineted his hand slipped . He tried to stay upright but swayed and fell. The impact of his body with the floor was agony. He felt like somebody was slowly impaling him, twisting the blade as they did it. He couldn't contain the scream anymore he cried out once and the world once again became fuzzy and distant.
That one cry of pain had awoken Hermione Granger,who had fallen asleep after working late on a charms essay. She jerked awake stupidly, she'd been having a blissful dream of Harry dancing with her in the great hall under the stars, when he'd leaned in to kiss her he'd pulled away screaming, it was that scream that had awoken her. It took her a few moments to get her bearings. "Why am I in the library? I must have fallen asleep, Stupid boys why didn't they come and find me, oh well what happened, happened" She gathered up her books and began to make her way back to Gryffindor.
As she padded through the silent carpeted halls her mind began to wander. She didn't notice the bundle of robes in the corridor until she almost tripped on it. At first her sleep fogged mind thought it was a first year who'd forgotten the password. It was only when the moon appeared from behind a cloud that Draco Malfoy's silvery hair and pale features revealed themselves.
"Malfoy, what are you......" She was about to start berating him when she noticed how ill he looked. "Are you alright?" He looked back at her oddly his eyes were unfocussed and he seemed to see straight through her. He suddenly flinched away from an unseen hand. "No, please!" he whispered tears flowing down his face. Hermione forced herself to remain calm. "Malfoy, can you hear me?" He didn't respond to her. He didn't seem to be aware she was there. "No father please! Don't do this! I didn't mean it!" He seemed almost hysterical now. There was nothing she could do to help. She didn't want to leave him in case he hurt himself in this state. She watched helplessly. After a few minutes the sobs calmed. He opened his eyes and sat up. "Malfoy?" she asked tentatively, "Are you OK?". He could hear her now. He stood up but immediately lost his balance and sat back down. Hermione knelt down beside him. "Come on" she said gently we need to get you to Madame Pomfrey. Draco gritted his teeth as the pain came back. He doubled up, clutching at his chest. "Granger get me to the....hospital wing....it hurts!"
"Let's go then" Hermione whispered worriedly helping him to stand. It was no use he'd taken two steps and crumpled to the floor moaning. Hermione was now thinking frantically about what she could do. She couldn't take him back to Slytherin Tower, she didn't even know where it was or what the password was, and she wasn't about to force him to walk all the way over the castle in his current state.
Hoping this wasn't to be her doom she helped Draco up. "I am going to take to the Gryffindor common room while I get help OK?" He nodded, his breathing seemed difficult, it was coming in harsh ragged gasps. She reached the portrait hole a few minutes later and pulled Draco through. At that moment Nearly Headless Nick floated through the opposite wall. All he saw was her dragging a boy through the portrait hole in the dead of night. He blustered for a good five minutes about "the behavior of students these days" before Hermione could explain what had happened. "Can you find Madame Pomfrey and tell her to come now!" Hermione said urgently. Nick drifted off hurriedly. "Hang on Malfoy" Hermione couldn't believe the situation she was in. "Are you sure this isn't a crazy dream?" she said trying to take his mind of whatever was causing this. "Believe me" he said ashen faced "I wish it was". He groaned as his heart was once more crushed in an icy grip. Acting only on instinct Hermione reached out to take one of his hands. He practically cut of her circulation , breaking the skin with his nails as he fought the pain.
Madame Pomfrey bustled in without warning, she apparantly knew the passwords for all the towers. "The Ghost told me one of you was seriously ill.......good Lord" she said staring at Draco as he sat painfully up. "Come with me both of you....Hermione do you have your wand? , good cast a levitation spell" She lifted Malfoy carefully, the spell greatly helped in reducing his weight.
A few minutes later they were in the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey bustled round attending to Draco while Hermione sank into an armchair at the foot of one of the beds. After a short time Madame Pomfrey came over, "I want you to remain here for the night, it looks like your friend there may have a dose of somthing nasty" Hermione was too tired to argue and slipped eagerly into the ready made bed. Sleep was quick to come and she fell once more to dreaming.
All was still in the Tower. The ghosts wandered mournfully from room to room illuminating the sleeping figures as they passed them by. There was one boy who was not still. He tossed and turned fretfully. A moan escaping every now and again into the stillness of the night air.
He was trapped in a hellish nightmare, rushing through endless blackness to a point of light seemingly eons away.The roaring was growing louder. He opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by cruel mocking faces. They laughed and taunted him. He tried to get up but found he was pinned to the floor. His father was leaning over him, a small ornate knife glittering in the moonlight. He tried to scream for help but he was frozen, he couldn't breathe. The knife cut into him, the pain was excruciating. Still he couldn't cry out. The room began to spin and the faces blurred. His father's voice became distorted and strange. Fuzzy blackness claimed him.
Abruptly the boy woke from his dream. The terrible pain had gripped his heart and spread out to his shoulders. He was burning everywhere but where the pain was he was cold like ice. Gasping he sat up. A wave of dizziness overcame him and he put out a hand to steady himself. After a few moments the pain and dizziness had faded and he staggered out of his dormitory to the bathroom. He splashed cold water onto his hot face. It mingled with the sweat and stung as it ran into his eyes. His reflection stared back at him out of the mirror, blonde hair slick with sweat and stuck out from his tossing, eyes with dark circles from lack of sleep and his face was paler than ever. He looked like a ghost. "Draco you look like death" the boy mumered to the mirror. His head began to swim again. He slumped against the door frame miserably. "You have to go to Madame Pomfrey now, your ill, who cares about family honour" he told himself. Gritting his teeth and feeling the wall for support he shuffled painfully down the corridor out of Slytherin Tower.
The corridors seemed narrow and cramped in the darkness. The sallow glow of the dungeon lights seemed dim and brighten with every step. "Keep going" he told himself. The stabbing sensation got steadily worse.
"Only a little longer". As the whole corridor started to twist in front of him like some slivery dragon he put a hand out to steady himself. It was to much, he was so disorineted his hand slipped . He tried to stay upright but swayed and fell. The impact of his body with the floor was agony. He felt like somebody was slowly impaling him, twisting the blade as they did it. He couldn't contain the scream anymore he cried out once and the world once again became fuzzy and distant.
That one cry of pain had awoken Hermione Granger,who had fallen asleep after working late on a charms essay. She jerked awake stupidly, she'd been having a blissful dream of Harry dancing with her in the great hall under the stars, when he'd leaned in to kiss her he'd pulled away screaming, it was that scream that had awoken her. It took her a few moments to get her bearings. "Why am I in the library? I must have fallen asleep, Stupid boys why didn't they come and find me, oh well what happened, happened" She gathered up her books and began to make her way back to Gryffindor.
As she padded through the silent carpeted halls her mind began to wander. She didn't notice the bundle of robes in the corridor until she almost tripped on it. At first her sleep fogged mind thought it was a first year who'd forgotten the password. It was only when the moon appeared from behind a cloud that Draco Malfoy's silvery hair and pale features revealed themselves.
"Malfoy, what are you......" She was about to start berating him when she noticed how ill he looked. "Are you alright?" He looked back at her oddly his eyes were unfocussed and he seemed to see straight through her. He suddenly flinched away from an unseen hand. "No, please!" he whispered tears flowing down his face. Hermione forced herself to remain calm. "Malfoy, can you hear me?" He didn't respond to her. He didn't seem to be aware she was there. "No father please! Don't do this! I didn't mean it!" He seemed almost hysterical now. There was nothing she could do to help. She didn't want to leave him in case he hurt himself in this state. She watched helplessly. After a few minutes the sobs calmed. He opened his eyes and sat up. "Malfoy?" she asked tentatively, "Are you OK?". He could hear her now. He stood up but immediately lost his balance and sat back down. Hermione knelt down beside him. "Come on" she said gently we need to get you to Madame Pomfrey. Draco gritted his teeth as the pain came back. He doubled up, clutching at his chest. "Granger get me to the....hospital wing....it hurts!"
"Let's go then" Hermione whispered worriedly helping him to stand. It was no use he'd taken two steps and crumpled to the floor moaning. Hermione was now thinking frantically about what she could do. She couldn't take him back to Slytherin Tower, she didn't even know where it was or what the password was, and she wasn't about to force him to walk all the way over the castle in his current state.
Hoping this wasn't to be her doom she helped Draco up. "I am going to take to the Gryffindor common room while I get help OK?" He nodded, his breathing seemed difficult, it was coming in harsh ragged gasps. She reached the portrait hole a few minutes later and pulled Draco through. At that moment Nearly Headless Nick floated through the opposite wall. All he saw was her dragging a boy through the portrait hole in the dead of night. He blustered for a good five minutes about "the behavior of students these days" before Hermione could explain what had happened. "Can you find Madame Pomfrey and tell her to come now!" Hermione said urgently. Nick drifted off hurriedly. "Hang on Malfoy" Hermione couldn't believe the situation she was in. "Are you sure this isn't a crazy dream?" she said trying to take his mind of whatever was causing this. "Believe me" he said ashen faced "I wish it was". He groaned as his heart was once more crushed in an icy grip. Acting only on instinct Hermione reached out to take one of his hands. He practically cut of her circulation , breaking the skin with his nails as he fought the pain.
Madame Pomfrey bustled in without warning, she apparantly knew the passwords for all the towers. "The Ghost told me one of you was seriously ill.......good Lord" she said staring at Draco as he sat painfully up. "Come with me both of you....Hermione do you have your wand? , good cast a levitation spell" She lifted Malfoy carefully, the spell greatly helped in reducing his weight.
A few minutes later they were in the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey bustled round attending to Draco while Hermione sank into an armchair at the foot of one of the beds. After a short time Madame Pomfrey came over, "I want you to remain here for the night, it looks like your friend there may have a dose of somthing nasty" Hermione was too tired to argue and slipped eagerly into the ready made bed. Sleep was quick to come and she fell once more to dreaming.