Hermione rushed to the infirmary for the second time in two days, her
heart hammering in her chest and her face pale. Draco had woken her up
shortly after he had carried Harry to the infirmary after he had apparently
collapsed. She prayed that it wasn't too late.
Ron was already there, ignoring Draco, while he talked to Ginny who was looking at Harry with tears in her eyes. When Hermione entered the small suite everyone stopped and looked at her. Feeling their eyes burning against her skin, she hurried over to Harry's bedside and looked down at him.
His scar shone red against his pale skin except on his cheeks, where there were odd splotches of red. His right cheek and eye had a bruise on it, where he had fallen. Hermione gently smoothed back the hair from his forehead, touching his feverish skin.
"I will ask that everyone please leave for a moment," a voice said from behind Hermione. She turned around to see Albus Dumbledore standing in the shadows, looking at her. She frowned, remembering how Harry had said something about leaving...
"Sir, I just need to talk to him for a moment..." Hermione started, but was cut off by a raise of his hand.
"Be gone." He said, and Hermione suddenly felt ill at ease. Dumbledore was always polite and kind to his students and the action and the cold words made Hermione feel uneasy.
She felt an arm on her hand, and looking down saw Draco's familiar long fingers. Looking at him, he nodded, and started to pull her away. She cast one last look at Harry, and allowed herself to be pulled away, Draco's fingers cold on her skin.
"Hermione," Draco said once they were out of the infirmary in the deserted hallway.
"Draco, something is wrong."
"I know," Ginny said, stepping next to Draco while Ron looked at Hermione. "I felt all uneasy when Dumbledore was there..."
"Maybe something is going on and he's not telling us...he did that to Harry last year," Ron said, turning to look at Ginny. His sister nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"I think it's something more then that," Hermione said and looked to Draco who was leaning against the wall.
"I don't know if my opinion counts for anything," Draco said, casting a glance at Ginny and Ron.
"It doesn't." Ron said, glaring at him.
"Quiet Ron," Ginny said, elbowing her brother in the ribs.
"Shut up Ginny," Ron said, turning to her. "Just because you have a crush on stupid Malfoy-"'
"I do not!" yelled Ginny indignantly.
"He's under the Imperio curse."
Everyone turned to stare at Draco, their mouths open.
"But, that's an Unforgivable Curse..." Ron said, his brows knit in disbelief. Ginny nodded, and Draco rolled his eyes tiredly.
"Oh well, I guess Voldemort didn't know that. Gosh, do you think we should tell him he could get in trouble for that?" Draco said sarcastically, making Ron frown with anger. "Grow up Weaslys- the world is not as nice as you think it is."
"How would he do it though?" Hermione asked, disregarding the Weasly comment. "I thought that Voldemort was afraid of Dumbledore..."
"Harry could easily put the Imperio curse on me....I would just have to be very vulnerable at the time...and he would have to make sure that I didn't fight it. We're both the same power, as is the case with old Voldey and Dumbledore."
"Don't call him that." Ginny said, giving Draco a dirty look. He shrugged it off and turned to look at Hermione who was thinking.
"So you're saying that Dumbledore is under an Unforgivable Curse that has a wizard controlled by another wizard. Like a puppet....and we left Harry with him?" Ron said. All four of the teenagers stared at one another and then rushed towards the infirmary.
"Wait." Draco said, stretching her arms out to stop the others. "Voldemort will know if we all come rushing into the infirmary that we've figured part of his plan out. Hermione, just you go."
"Okay," Hermione said her voice quiet. "But, if something happens, I want you to get to Harry first."
Draco turned away from the glare he was giving Ron to look at Hermione. They met eyes and he nodded, suddenly feeling cold.
She turned abruptly and walked in the doors of the infirmary, leaving Ginny, Ron and Draco alone.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" asked Ginny, nervously brushing her hair behind her ear.
"I guess we'll find out." Ron said, glaring at the back of Draco's head. Draco however was straining his ears to hear any sort of sound. He heard a muffled high pitch noise and turned to Ron and Ginny.
"Ron, go check on her." Draco said quietly. "Now."
Ron, perplexed, did what Draco said, saving arguments. As the door shut behind him, Ginny walked over to Draco.
"What is it?" she asked but he stopped her by cupping his hand over her mouth. He could hear steps; someone was running towards the door.
Ron ran through the open door, Dumbledore closely behind him. As the wizard passed, Draco suddenly felt his veins turn to ice. The wizard was walking calmly around the bend at the end of the hall before Draco turned to Ron who was white-faced.
"Where are they?" Draco asked, trying not to let panic into his voice.
"They're both gone!"
Ron was already there, ignoring Draco, while he talked to Ginny who was looking at Harry with tears in her eyes. When Hermione entered the small suite everyone stopped and looked at her. Feeling their eyes burning against her skin, she hurried over to Harry's bedside and looked down at him.
His scar shone red against his pale skin except on his cheeks, where there were odd splotches of red. His right cheek and eye had a bruise on it, where he had fallen. Hermione gently smoothed back the hair from his forehead, touching his feverish skin.
"I will ask that everyone please leave for a moment," a voice said from behind Hermione. She turned around to see Albus Dumbledore standing in the shadows, looking at her. She frowned, remembering how Harry had said something about leaving...
"Sir, I just need to talk to him for a moment..." Hermione started, but was cut off by a raise of his hand.
"Be gone." He said, and Hermione suddenly felt ill at ease. Dumbledore was always polite and kind to his students and the action and the cold words made Hermione feel uneasy.
She felt an arm on her hand, and looking down saw Draco's familiar long fingers. Looking at him, he nodded, and started to pull her away. She cast one last look at Harry, and allowed herself to be pulled away, Draco's fingers cold on her skin.
"Hermione," Draco said once they were out of the infirmary in the deserted hallway.
"Draco, something is wrong."
"I know," Ginny said, stepping next to Draco while Ron looked at Hermione. "I felt all uneasy when Dumbledore was there..."
"Maybe something is going on and he's not telling us...he did that to Harry last year," Ron said, turning to look at Ginny. His sister nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"I think it's something more then that," Hermione said and looked to Draco who was leaning against the wall.
"I don't know if my opinion counts for anything," Draco said, casting a glance at Ginny and Ron.
"It doesn't." Ron said, glaring at him.
"Quiet Ron," Ginny said, elbowing her brother in the ribs.
"Shut up Ginny," Ron said, turning to her. "Just because you have a crush on stupid Malfoy-"'
"I do not!" yelled Ginny indignantly.
"He's under the Imperio curse."
Everyone turned to stare at Draco, their mouths open.
"But, that's an Unforgivable Curse..." Ron said, his brows knit in disbelief. Ginny nodded, and Draco rolled his eyes tiredly.
"Oh well, I guess Voldemort didn't know that. Gosh, do you think we should tell him he could get in trouble for that?" Draco said sarcastically, making Ron frown with anger. "Grow up Weaslys- the world is not as nice as you think it is."
"How would he do it though?" Hermione asked, disregarding the Weasly comment. "I thought that Voldemort was afraid of Dumbledore..."
"Harry could easily put the Imperio curse on me....I would just have to be very vulnerable at the time...and he would have to make sure that I didn't fight it. We're both the same power, as is the case with old Voldey and Dumbledore."
"Don't call him that." Ginny said, giving Draco a dirty look. He shrugged it off and turned to look at Hermione who was thinking.
"So you're saying that Dumbledore is under an Unforgivable Curse that has a wizard controlled by another wizard. Like a puppet....and we left Harry with him?" Ron said. All four of the teenagers stared at one another and then rushed towards the infirmary.
"Wait." Draco said, stretching her arms out to stop the others. "Voldemort will know if we all come rushing into the infirmary that we've figured part of his plan out. Hermione, just you go."
"Okay," Hermione said her voice quiet. "But, if something happens, I want you to get to Harry first."
Draco turned away from the glare he was giving Ron to look at Hermione. They met eyes and he nodded, suddenly feeling cold.
She turned abruptly and walked in the doors of the infirmary, leaving Ginny, Ron and Draco alone.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" asked Ginny, nervously brushing her hair behind her ear.
"I guess we'll find out." Ron said, glaring at the back of Draco's head. Draco however was straining his ears to hear any sort of sound. He heard a muffled high pitch noise and turned to Ron and Ginny.
"Ron, go check on her." Draco said quietly. "Now."
Ron, perplexed, did what Draco said, saving arguments. As the door shut behind him, Ginny walked over to Draco.
"What is it?" she asked but he stopped her by cupping his hand over her mouth. He could hear steps; someone was running towards the door.
Ron ran through the open door, Dumbledore closely behind him. As the wizard passed, Draco suddenly felt his veins turn to ice. The wizard was walking calmly around the bend at the end of the hall before Draco turned to Ron who was white-faced.
"Where are they?" Draco asked, trying not to let panic into his voice.
"They're both gone!"