Chapter 3
She gasped. " Hagrid will have to clean this up for you!"
" It's fine." He replied, but allowed her to grab his sleeve and then pull him towards Hagrid's hut. It didn't really matter, the fact that she cared enough to steer him towards some help. The moment that stupid giant would let him go, he decided to slip outside, and once there, he planned to get his plan carried out. It wasn't so hard, after all. Stupid Granger, think you could comfort me? It's too far from that.
Hermione let go of his sleeve though, and said, matter-of-factly: " If I'm going to pull you all the way there, I might as well give up." She was flushed, because it was a bit of weight to drag a bag of Quidditch supplies and him.
Draco thought she looked rather pretty that way, her hair scattered around the way it was; then his mind surfaced another thought, as if a leaf floating on the surface of a lake: Father says Mudbloods can't be beautiful. They're barely any better then Muggles, for Merlin's sake!
" You don't know the scare you gave me." She scolded, her eyebrows drawing tightly in a frown. " I saw you standing there, just on the verge of entering the forest. I knew I had to say something. I didn't think it would be you, of all people." She's rambling, Draco analyzed. Why wouldn't it be me?
Standing on the shore
Calling out your name
I was here before
I could see your face
" What did you think you were doing, running around out here with a knife in your hand?" She asked.
I wanted a painful death. It sounded thrilling. Who cares about a quick death like Avada Kedavra? That doesn't scare me anymore. Draco had many words in his mind but he simply replied, in a mumble: " … er… thought I'd cut one of those forest Stink Mushrooms and put it in Potter's bag."
Hermione shook her head. " Typical of you." She sounded cold as she spoke these words, almost as if she didn't entirely enjoy knowing Draco's plan.
Of course she wouldn't. Draco slowly slid the knife into the pocket of his robes and then rubbed his hands together, trying to wash them in the rain. They neared Hagrid's hut, and when it's dark, short and squat figure appeared before them, Hermione said: "I'll knock on the door. I don't think he'd bother opening the door for you."
Draco admitted to himself that this was reasonably true, but still took slight offense.
Hermione rapped on the door and waited patiently.
" Comin'." Hagrid's voice rang out from inside. He opened the door a crack and a thin channel of light was thrown over Hermione. He could see nothing else. " Brought th' Quidditch supplies, did ya?" He motioned with his large hand for her to slip inside. "C'min, c'min."
Hermione slowly slipped inside, then motioned at the doorway.
" Want me to carry 'em?" Hagrid asked.
She shook her head. " I have someone else here."
Hagrid burst the door open: " 'Arry? Ron?" His eyes fell upon Draco Malfoy and his smile was erased entirely. " Think yer bein' funny, do ya?" He asked the boy. " What've ya done wit' 'Arry now? Dumbledore's always sendin' these kids ter me, I tell ya…"
Draco reached out his hand, not bothering to answer the giant man. He figured his cut would speak for itself.
No one said
There would be rain again
Won't blame it on myself
" I didn't do it myself." He immediately said. " Well, not on purpose, anyway. I was just holding a knife, and then…" He didn't know how to continue the lie, so he simply gave an excuse. " It was raining, I figured the rain would just wash it off, but then she came along and insisted I came to you."
" Thank yer lucky stars Hermione did what she did." Hagrid pushed Draco inside, though a bit gently. " C'min too, then."
Draco sat down in the giant sofa-chair, his body nearly sinking entirely into it.
" Not on my chair, y'don't. Ya wouldn't know the troub'l tah get bloodstains outta it." Hagrid motioned to a stiff wooden bench propped up against the wall instead.
" Just fix it here." Draco said. He wasn't about to go sitting on hard benches. Wait until Father hears of this. His stomach tightened just then. My Father won't hear of this, though… well, unless Hagrid or Granger tells him.
Hagrid took a taut white roll of gauze out of a cabinet and then brought it over to Draco.
" Is it bad?" Hermione asked.
" Not too bad." Hagrid slowly washed the cut out. " Can't do magic, now, can I? Hermione, ya wouldn't mind castin' a quick healin' charm on this so it could scab o'er a bit?"
Hermione nodded and knelt down beside Draco. She positioned her wand over the cut and tried to recollect the spell she picked up from Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing. " Healei Scasponus!" The entire cut seemed to glow and then the blood clotted instantly.
Hagrid wrapped the gauze around the cut and then said: " This ain't no accidental cut, Mister Malfoy." He tapped at the gauze. "Yer mistaken tah think that you'd fool me. I've seen cuts all my life an' I can tell the difference by now. So, tell us the real story, if y'd rather not spell it out in Dumbledore's office instead."
Draco swallowed hard. His throat felt dry and raspy all of a sudden. Do I tell them? If I get stuck in Dumbledore's office, he might even put the Truth spell on me. Then I won't be out of Madame Pomfrey's until they brainwash me into a life-loving freak again. A paranoia almost overcame him.
Maybe it's too late
Maybe it's too late to try again
It was too late, after all; he'd made his mind up. To avoid other consequences, Draco began to explain what led him to this state.
~*~
Author's Note: We'll continue with more reviews! Thank you all that reviewed!
