Hermione opened her eyes slowly and gasped when she realized she was in the Hospital Wing. The whiteness of the sheets was tinted blue by the powerful darkness- tainted. There were three beds around her with the curtains shut tight; she hated to think who was in there. Tentatively, she whispered into the darkness, "Who's in here?" There was a rustling from on of the beds, and Hermione shivered with apprehension as the curtain slowly opened. She let out the breath she had been holding in shock when the narrow gray eyes peered around at her. He had a nasty bruise forming under his white blond hair now, and despite her instincts Hermione was concerned.
"That's some bruise," she commented awkwardly. Draco shrugged, but winced at the pain.
"I'll live." He looked to his side and saw the other two curtained beds close to them. "Who's in there?"
"I dunno," Hermione said quietly. It had all been so fast…she could hardly even remember what had happened. Draco saw the confusion on Hermione's face instantly.
"I reckon Dumbledore'll explain it soon enough," he offered. Hermione looked up and sighed, nodding, their rivalry for the moment forgotten.
"I hope so." There was another silence. "Do you think you could look in those beds and see who's in there?" TO her surprise, he just nodded and propped himself up to look in; no witty comeback involved. Draco squinted through the dark. He tried to describe him for Hermione as the name escaped him.
"Erm…brown hair, a little freckly…oh okay, he's a Ravenclaw. They've given him a blue hospital robe." Hermione looked down at herself and sure enough was wearing a red one, Draco a green. She thought hard about who it could be, who was near her when it happened.
"Oh no, Terry Boot," she said sadly, thinking of all the pleasant study sessions she had shared with him. Draco let out a low chuckle.
"He's not dead, relax. Sleeping I think, he looks fine." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, but her eyes traveled to the other occupied hospital bed. Draco followed her gaze and took it upon himself to look in there too. A draft of wind blew through the open window gently, moving the curtains to Draco's advantage. He whistled softly. "That doesn't look good." Hermione felt herself go cold and pale.
"What is it?" she whispered, almost not wanting to know the answer.
"That girl you sometimes hang out with…Weasley's sister," he replied simply. Hermione clutched her bedpost in horror.
"Ginny?"
"Yeah, that's her," he said, looking back at the ashen faced redhead. A stab of fear went through Hermione's stomach like a knife.
"But she's not-" Draco shook his head quickly.
"No, she's still breathing…but barely." Hermione groaned and put her head in her hands. How could this have happened? She took in one rattly breath before asking "Is anyone else hurt?" Draco shrugged.
"I honestly don't know."
"Oh this is a nightmare!" she exclaimed suddenly, making Draco jump. "Any minute now I'll-I'll wake up, and then I'll run into Ginny on the way to breakfast…" she trailed off.
"I doubt if even the Pomp will be able to wake Red here up for tomorrow's breakfast," he cut in gently, dashing Hermione's dream to shreds. She glared at him.
"I think you've made that quite clear." Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, I'm actually being tolerable, no need for glares and such," he said, sounding indignant.
"Of course, you're right," she said sighing once again. "I just-this is Ginny we're talking about! She probably wasn't even supposed to get in the way of whatever just happened, it wasn't her fault!"
"It wasn't any of our faults Granger!" Draco snapped, starting to sound like his old self in trying to get Hermione to see clearly. "It was some bloody lunatic who wanted to get Potter out of the way but you came up instead!" Hermione started. Turning this over slowly in her head she found it made sense; sort of an assassination attempt so to speak.
"That does make sense…" she said slowly. Draco's battered face went slightly into the smirk she knew so well, and it made her actually glad to see it.
"Of course it makes sense! Either that or they were after Dumbledore, but Dumbledore is too strong to get killed by that thing." Hermione looked at him closely.
"How do you know all this?" Draco leaned back on his pillows.
"Common sense Granger, common sense- you don't think they gave me this badge for nothing do you?" With that last comment, he rolled over to go back to sleep, leaving Hermione speechless and confused.
--
The next morning, the bright sunlight woke Draco up. He groaned and held his head, which was now throbbing unpleasantly. Madam Pomfrey came bustling in with a thick green potion contained in a bottle. Draco made a face; he knew he'd have to have some, whatever it was. True to his prediction, she came straight to his bed. "Open your mouth," she commanded and Draco obediently opened his mouth. The potion slid down his throat rather unpleasantly, almost like a snake's skin. It fizzled for a second before it settled in his stomach. "Good." She went to go to Terry's bed but Draco grabbed her robe sleeve.
"What of Bucktooth and Red?" he asked, trying to make it seem like he didn't care much at all. Madam Pomfrey mentally translated this to figure out who he was talking about before answering.
"Miss Granger will be perfectly fine; in fact, you, she and Mr. Boot here will be free to go this afternoon. Miss Weasley…" she sighed looking weary and upset. "…she's not-you know, if that's what you're thinking, but she'll be in here for quite some time. There are some things even magic can't fix. It's all in God's hands now. I believe Muggles call them comas?" She walked to administer the potion to Terry and Draco stared after her, shocked. A coma?
Across from him, Hermione began to stir. Frantically, he searched in his mind for something to tell her besides "Your little pal won't make it Granger, she's in a coma". Madam Pomfrey was already gone, and there was no doubt in his mind that the first thing Granger would do would be to ask about her friend.
Hermione opened her eyes sleepily and met Draco's admittedly panicked look. She raised an eyebrow. "What's happened?" He practically had a heart attack with shock that she had talked.
"We can go later," he drawled nonchalantly, dodging the question. Her face became fiercely determined; Draco knew the look all too well. Last time she had that look on he had gotten bitch slapped, and although she was in the Hospital Wing he knew she wouldn't let that stop her.
"What's happened?" she asked icily.
He motioned his head towards Ginny's bed, giving up. "Weasley's in a coma." Hermione's face fell from determined to shocked to cheerless in the span of two seconds.
"Oh my God," she whispered, clutching her sheets so hard they wrinkled up immediately.
To his own astonishment, he found himself trying to comfort the distressed girl. "I'm sure Madam P will be able to fix her up in two seconds," he said confidently. Hermione looked him straight in the eyes, white as a sheet and unnerving him greatly.
"Tell me the truth Draco."
--
Ron and Harry burst the door of the Hospital Wing open in a panic, scuffing the polished white surface brown with their trainers. Madam Pomfrey met them crossly. "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, what may I ask, are you doing?"
Ron looked down determinedly on the little witch. "My sister and best friend are in there Madam Pomfrey, I need to see them!" Harry looked imploringly at her.
"You've got to let us in!" he argued to her silence. She sighed and said in defeat 'Five minutes'. They thanked her quickly before bounding into the Invalid Area.
"Hermione? Gin?" Ron said into the silence. He heard a shocked 'Oh!' before Hermione's head popped out. The person in the bed across from her quickly shut their curtains, but the worried friends took no notice.
"Ron! Harry!" she breathed happily, motioning with her hand for them to come over.
"Oh Lord Hermione are you all right?" Harry's concerned green eyes looked into her brown ones and she nodded.
"I'm fine, I'm fine…Ron-" she broke off, not wanting to be the one to tell him. Ron looked at her in confusion.
"Why do you look so upset? You're fine!" His confusion turned to horror when he saw a solitary tear slipped down her face.
"What is it?" Harry asked gently, but with a sense of urgency in his voice. She took in a deep breath, steadying herself.
"It's Ginny..." she motioned towards Ginny's bed and the two anxious boys rushed over, rustling the curtains of Draco's bed. He was looking at Hermione silently, but she wasn't watching him. She was watching Ron and Harry.
Ron made an indistinct noise in his throat before dropping into a conveniently placed chair next to the bed. Harry put his hand over Ginny's mouth and determined that she was still breathing. "But she's not dead," he said, sounding both relieved and concerned. Hermione shook her head.
"He said that magic can't help her," Hermione replied, trying desperately not to start sobbing in front of them. "He said it's in God's hands now." Ron turned to her.
"He?" She quickly realized her mistake.
"I meant she-Madam Pomfrey." He nodded and looked back to his little sister, looking like a sheet of ice for all of the coldness and white she displayed.
"If she dies I swear-" he started but Harry stopped him.
"Don't do that. It doesn't help." Ron and Hermione looked at him, surprised, and he looked a little uncomfortable.
"I've just…been through that, you know?" They nodded in new understanding and looked down at Ginny. Draco glanced out of his curtains onto the silent Trio; the Trio that had caused him hell for four years. They didn't seem so remotely intimidating now.
Ron and Harry left shortly thereafter, Ron looking pale under his multitude of freckles. Hermione watched them go, and it wasn't thirty seconds before Draco's curtains were open again.
"What do you want?" she asked without moving her head.
"I don't know," he said, looking at the swinging doors that were closing behind Harry and Ron. Hermione was puzzled, but didn't let her face show it. She turned to Draco after the doors were still.
"Why do you care?" Draco looked apprehensive.
"What do you mean 'why do I care'?" he asked.
"I mean, why do you care about Ginny's condition? About me?" Draco shrugged uncomfortably.
"Just nice knowing I guess." There was a minute or two of silence before Hermione turned her back to him to go to sleep. Draco looked up at the white paneled ceiling and began to count in his head.
1…
2…
3…
--