Disclaimer: Ah. You can pretend that I wrote one.
Author's note: I realize I've made a dreadful mistake in the previous chap. Healers don't wear white robes, but lime-green ones ^^(). How dumb of me. *decides to read ootp more carefully next time*
A BEEG thanks to all my reviewers (yes, even if it's a measly number), esp to mary lee for pointing out my goony mistake. _ Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!!! *bows 90 degrees to the ground*
Oh, and can someone tell me why my encoding always has problems when I save in html format? Help me I'm computer illiterate!! Yargh!!
'Heal'
Chapter 2
Hermione leant against the windowsill, gazing, much as she tried not to, at the still unconscious Draco Malfoy, who lay now in bed, covered waist down in pale blue sheets. Sunlight crept through the blinds, running patterns across the sheets. The soft light fell across Malfoy's face like the gentle hand of a lover, casting shadows across his sharp features. His chest rose and fell slightly with every breath he took, colour creeping into his previously deathly pale face.
She'd never expected to meet Malfoy again this way. It had only been four years since they last saw each other on the Hogwarts Express, but it seemed to Hermione like centuries. Ever since she'd left Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy seemed to recede into the background, recalled only as an unpleasant memory during her stay at Hogwarts. In fact, if not for constant reports of the uprisings of the Death Eaters, or the fact that Harry was an auror and Ron was working with the ministry, she'd probably have forgotten the very existence of Malfoy.
Yet here she was, standing by Malfoy's bed, by some strange, unfortunate twist of events. She wrinkled her nose at the pure irony of the situation.
'Hermione? Alright if I come in now?' A dark, disheveled head emerged from behind the door, peering in tentatively.
'HARRY?! What're you doing here?' Hermione stood up quite suddenly, and then, feeling a bit disoriented, hastily sat down again.
'Well ah... I sort of defeated Malfoy...' He rubbed the back of his head, making his jet-black hair looked more oddly ruffled than it already did. 'And well, you know we're trying to catch his father so I tried to get it out of him but...'
'But?'
'But he refused. So I resorted to Legilimency. Apparently he's hiding a lot from us- a plan of some sort it seems- and he didn't want to reveal anything.'
'So the dagger... he did that to himself just to stop you?' Hermione frowned.
'Um. I guess. But we'll get it out of him somehow.' Harry's lips set in a thin line of determination. 'We can't afford any more lives to be lost. The Death Eaters are up to something, and we've got to stop them, by hook or by crook.'
'Yes well...I guess you're right.' She stole yet another glance at Malfoy. He looked innocent enough when he was asleep- as innocent as Death Eaters went. 'But isn't there some other way to put an end to all this conflict?'
'Huh?'
'I mean all this fighting. All this violence, all this bloodshed, and no one listens to each other- no one probably even knows why they're fighting anymore. I'm sure some of them- I mean the Death Eaters, don't want this either...it's just that we've killed so many of them, so they'd naturally want revenge and oh, I just wish we could resolve this by peaceful means...' Hermione trailed off, fingering a syringe in her hand, which she'd picked up more for the need of something to occupy her than anything else. Working at St Mungo's gave her a much clearer look at just how much damage the conflict caused. Casualties were rampant nowadays, dark wizards and non- dark wizards alike. And she realised, perhaps a little too late, that no one ever bothered to ask why.
'Well, they started all this,' Harry said darkly. 'Besides, you can't reason with Dark wizards, Hermione. If we could settle this peacefully, we would have done so centuries ago.' He paused. 'I rarely thought about it this way, though. Just like you, Mione, to try and see the good in everyone, seeing things from other people's perspectives and all...'
Hermione sighed. Harry was just like the others- he never doubted if they, the so-called 'good' wizards were doing the right thing. How come no one ever thought of it the way she did?
'I wouldn't be too quick to say that. I never saw an ounce of good in Malfoy back in Hogwarts. Or Umbridge.'
Harry gave a light, careless laugh. 'Oh, but at least you tried.' He got up from his seat. 'Got to rush now...take care alright? I'll be back when Malfoy's recovered- got to take him to the Ministry for further questioning.'
'Oh, and one more thing.' Harry pushed his spectacles up his nose. 'Um...Just thought I'd warn you, we're stationing dementors outside Malfoy's room...for security purposes you know.'
'Dementors?! You can't do that! This is a hospital! How could you, you know how some patients are when they get depressed...'
'It's just a temporary measure, Mione. Oh, don't look at me like that, it's the Ministry that decides these things, hey...OW! Don't poke me with that!' Eager to avoid any more murderous jabs from Hermione's syringe, Harry made a hasty exit.
'Sorry 'bout the Dementors, Mione! They won't be any trouble at all!' With that, the auror made a not-so-dignified exit.
'Dementors in St Mungo's...' Hermione shook her head. 'What will they think of next?'
~~~
'Dementors at St Mungo's?'
At Knockturn Alley, a figure, richly clad in green robes of velvet leant on a lamppost, speaking, or so it seemed, to no one in particular. On closer inspection however, one would notice that the figure was in fact talking to a raven, perched inconspicuously on a signboard.
'Or so I've heard. It won't be so easy, Lucius, to save him now...'
The figure shifted ever so slightly on the cold, damp cobblestone ground. 'We have to save him, or risk Potter getting hold of all our plans. I don't think Draco'd be able to hide it from them much longer-you have to get him out of there, as soon as possible, do you understand?'
'Yes, I understand.'
'I will not condone any more errors, Bellatrix- my foolish son has made enough. Failure is not an option.'
'Yes, I will not fail you, Lucius.'
The silhouette of a raven flitted past the pale evening sky above Knockturn Alley. Its companions were waiting for her.
Buahaha I hope I didn't bore you to death. I'll get to more D/Hr action soon. Really!! Review if you think it's good, or if it totally sucked. I really want some feedback!!!
So press da button!!
Author's note: I realize I've made a dreadful mistake in the previous chap. Healers don't wear white robes, but lime-green ones ^^(). How dumb of me. *decides to read ootp more carefully next time*
A BEEG thanks to all my reviewers (yes, even if it's a measly number), esp to mary lee for pointing out my goony mistake. _ Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!!! *bows 90 degrees to the ground*
Oh, and can someone tell me why my encoding always has problems when I save in html format? Help me I'm computer illiterate!! Yargh!!
'Heal'
Chapter 2
Hermione leant against the windowsill, gazing, much as she tried not to, at the still unconscious Draco Malfoy, who lay now in bed, covered waist down in pale blue sheets. Sunlight crept through the blinds, running patterns across the sheets. The soft light fell across Malfoy's face like the gentle hand of a lover, casting shadows across his sharp features. His chest rose and fell slightly with every breath he took, colour creeping into his previously deathly pale face.
She'd never expected to meet Malfoy again this way. It had only been four years since they last saw each other on the Hogwarts Express, but it seemed to Hermione like centuries. Ever since she'd left Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy seemed to recede into the background, recalled only as an unpleasant memory during her stay at Hogwarts. In fact, if not for constant reports of the uprisings of the Death Eaters, or the fact that Harry was an auror and Ron was working with the ministry, she'd probably have forgotten the very existence of Malfoy.
Yet here she was, standing by Malfoy's bed, by some strange, unfortunate twist of events. She wrinkled her nose at the pure irony of the situation.
'Hermione? Alright if I come in now?' A dark, disheveled head emerged from behind the door, peering in tentatively.
'HARRY?! What're you doing here?' Hermione stood up quite suddenly, and then, feeling a bit disoriented, hastily sat down again.
'Well ah... I sort of defeated Malfoy...' He rubbed the back of his head, making his jet-black hair looked more oddly ruffled than it already did. 'And well, you know we're trying to catch his father so I tried to get it out of him but...'
'But?'
'But he refused. So I resorted to Legilimency. Apparently he's hiding a lot from us- a plan of some sort it seems- and he didn't want to reveal anything.'
'So the dagger... he did that to himself just to stop you?' Hermione frowned.
'Um. I guess. But we'll get it out of him somehow.' Harry's lips set in a thin line of determination. 'We can't afford any more lives to be lost. The Death Eaters are up to something, and we've got to stop them, by hook or by crook.'
'Yes well...I guess you're right.' She stole yet another glance at Malfoy. He looked innocent enough when he was asleep- as innocent as Death Eaters went. 'But isn't there some other way to put an end to all this conflict?'
'Huh?'
'I mean all this fighting. All this violence, all this bloodshed, and no one listens to each other- no one probably even knows why they're fighting anymore. I'm sure some of them- I mean the Death Eaters, don't want this either...it's just that we've killed so many of them, so they'd naturally want revenge and oh, I just wish we could resolve this by peaceful means...' Hermione trailed off, fingering a syringe in her hand, which she'd picked up more for the need of something to occupy her than anything else. Working at St Mungo's gave her a much clearer look at just how much damage the conflict caused. Casualties were rampant nowadays, dark wizards and non- dark wizards alike. And she realised, perhaps a little too late, that no one ever bothered to ask why.
'Well, they started all this,' Harry said darkly. 'Besides, you can't reason with Dark wizards, Hermione. If we could settle this peacefully, we would have done so centuries ago.' He paused. 'I rarely thought about it this way, though. Just like you, Mione, to try and see the good in everyone, seeing things from other people's perspectives and all...'
Hermione sighed. Harry was just like the others- he never doubted if they, the so-called 'good' wizards were doing the right thing. How come no one ever thought of it the way she did?
'I wouldn't be too quick to say that. I never saw an ounce of good in Malfoy back in Hogwarts. Or Umbridge.'
Harry gave a light, careless laugh. 'Oh, but at least you tried.' He got up from his seat. 'Got to rush now...take care alright? I'll be back when Malfoy's recovered- got to take him to the Ministry for further questioning.'
'Oh, and one more thing.' Harry pushed his spectacles up his nose. 'Um...Just thought I'd warn you, we're stationing dementors outside Malfoy's room...for security purposes you know.'
'Dementors?! You can't do that! This is a hospital! How could you, you know how some patients are when they get depressed...'
'It's just a temporary measure, Mione. Oh, don't look at me like that, it's the Ministry that decides these things, hey...OW! Don't poke me with that!' Eager to avoid any more murderous jabs from Hermione's syringe, Harry made a hasty exit.
'Sorry 'bout the Dementors, Mione! They won't be any trouble at all!' With that, the auror made a not-so-dignified exit.
'Dementors in St Mungo's...' Hermione shook her head. 'What will they think of next?'
~~~
'Dementors at St Mungo's?'
At Knockturn Alley, a figure, richly clad in green robes of velvet leant on a lamppost, speaking, or so it seemed, to no one in particular. On closer inspection however, one would notice that the figure was in fact talking to a raven, perched inconspicuously on a signboard.
'Or so I've heard. It won't be so easy, Lucius, to save him now...'
The figure shifted ever so slightly on the cold, damp cobblestone ground. 'We have to save him, or risk Potter getting hold of all our plans. I don't think Draco'd be able to hide it from them much longer-you have to get him out of there, as soon as possible, do you understand?'
'Yes, I understand.'
'I will not condone any more errors, Bellatrix- my foolish son has made enough. Failure is not an option.'
'Yes, I will not fail you, Lucius.'
The silhouette of a raven flitted past the pale evening sky above Knockturn Alley. Its companions were waiting for her.
Buahaha I hope I didn't bore you to death. I'll get to more D/Hr action soon. Really!! Review if you think it's good, or if it totally sucked. I really want some feedback!!!
So press da button!!