Disclaimer: I own nothing..but the plot. It all belongs to JK, but u already knew that

Hermione had been in the hospital wing for a week, and still no one knew what

exactly had happened to her. Being that Hogwarts was one of the most gossip ridden

schools in Europe, the news of her attack were known throughout the school within the

hour. The basic facts of the event were that she had not been seen during her afternoon

class, and when the Gryffindors had returned to their common room before dinner, they

had found her severely cursed and unconscious on the couch. Harry had immediately

carried her to the hospital wing while Ron had gotten the Headmaster.

Madame Pomfrey began working on her right away. And although she was well

trained in all forms of medical magic, she was only able to fix the curses marring her

appearance. The curse that was keeping her unconscious was yet to be identified, as was

the counter-curse. Dumbledore suspected that it wasn't that it was an exceptionally

powerful hex, just that two minor ones had been used and they reacted to each other in an

interesting way. It was his guess that in time the curses would wear off on their own,

although he had no concrete idea how long that would be.

Everyone in the school was deeply affected by this attack, as the one guilty was

yet to be apprehended in the week following it. Students went everywhere in packs,

never being left alone. Teachers were constantly looking at their students, trying to pick

out a suspicious one that had the ability to attack another student. It seemed that the

week had be hard on everyone, but none had it as hard as Draco did.

He had to endure constant appraising looks from his professors, and wary looks

from his classmates. Harry and Ron had come up to him mere hours after it happened

and accused him of the crime. After a few minutes of physical violence between the

three guys, McGonagall reminded them the "Golden Duo" that Draco had been in class

with them at the time of the attack. Above all this, Draco had to endure pain and

frustration like no one else had to. He was constantly berating himself for not protecting

Hermione from whoever hurt her. He was angry at himself for not looking deeper into

the fact that she hadn't shown up to class that afternoon. He had let his arrogance take

over and assumed that she just wasn't ready to see him yet. Because there wasn't really

anything he could do to help Hermione get better, he devoted his time to harboring an

obsession instead. An obsession to find who had done this to her, and make sure that

they were punished.

Draco knew somehow that Hermione being in the hospital wing was his fault.

None of the evidence of what happened indicated that it was Lucius that had cursed

Hermione into near oblivion, but a part of Draco still wanted to blame his father for what

had happened. After all, it seemed to much of a coincidence that the day after he and

Hermione had kissed, she ended up unconscious.

He had been visiting her nightly, because he clearly couldn't go in to see her

during the day. Each time he did the same thing: pulled a chair to her bedside and

watched her until dawn while he held her hand. He never dared to stay later, it would be

too easy for him to be discovered then.

The events of the day Hermione was attacked played over and over in his head.

Who would want to hurt her? His father was whom he suspected, against all logic, even

though he talked to his mother and she said she was with him the entire day in question.

He trusted his mother more than anyone, so his theory was quickly crumbling. Lucius

could have sent a death eater here, but how would he get in? Wasn't Hogwarts

impenetrable? No one in school had anything against her. Well, some Slytherins might

but they wouldn't have the guts to do anything. Plus, how would anyone get into

Gryffindor tower? Which led him back to where he ended up every single night. Why

would a Gryffindor attack a fellow housemate? No one he knew in that house was

vindictive enough to hurt her, even if they did find out about her kissing Slytherin's

prince. Draco froze at his last thought. "Ginny.oh God. Ginny!" He abruptly got up

from his chair and ran from the wind in the direction of Gryffindor tower, only to change

his mind at the last instant by going to the Headmaster's office.

Less than a minute after Draco turned the corner another lone figure slipped into

the hospital wing. A lone figure with red hair.

Ron sat in the chair vacated by Draco only minutes before and took Hermione's

hand in his own. He stared at her face for a long time without saying a word. Then he

took a deep gusting breath, and began a speech that he had obviously put much thought

and planning into.

"Hermione, I know you can't hear me right now, but I have to get something off

my chest. It might even be better that you won't remember this, because I don't think I

could take your rejection." He paused for a few minutes and then continued on. "I'm in

love with you.I have been since third year. God, I've loved you for nearly half a

decade and I've never said anything to you about this. Actually, I've never said anything

about this to anyone, not even Harry. Sometimes I get the impression that he knows

without my telling him though. Hermione, you don't know what it's like to have waited

so long, no sure if I was ready to reveal my feelings. And then to finally feel ready and

prepared, but you're no here to understand what I'm saying to you. It's been so hard, to

be right near you and with you, but never really being with you. And now I want you to

now how much I care about you, because I thought that I lost you. Right now I want to

be angry at you for making me worry like this, but I never could me angry with you.

Especially now, how could I be angry with you when more than anything in the world I

just want you to open your eyes. Even if you don't remember any of this, and still look at

me as a friend."

He leaned over and slowly kissed her, never expecting the slight movement he felt

when he did this. He pulled back from her face, trying to register any movement that

indicated she was awake. Then she muttered one word that made his whole world and all

of his hope come crashing down.

"Draco."