b
Draco Malfoy*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"IWill I ever get to,
To where it is that I am going?
Will I ever follow through with what I have planned?
I guess it's possible,
That I have been a bit distracted
And my directions forming a lot less in demand
Will I ever get to where I'm going?
If I do will I know when I'm there?
If the wind blew me in the right direction,
Would I even care?
I would
I take a look aroundIt seems as if the sea has changed
And there are times I feel improved
Improved upon the past
And there are times when I
Can't seem to understand it all
And yes it seems as though I'm going
Nowhere really fucking fast
Nowhere fast./I"
'Nowhere Fast' Incubus*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
/b
Draco slowly slumped into Dumbledore's office one late Saturday afternoon. He had been dreading the day ever since the fateful night in the dungeons where he saw the specter of his mother almost two weeks prior. He had been spending more nights with Hermione, he would talk, and she would listen.
Every since seeing the haunting apparition of Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's hallucinations grew over the extreme. Around every dark turn in the vast corridors of Hogwarts, he would see them. His father, would stare at him, or sometimes follow him around the corridors. His mother would scream and shriek at him, and violently attack him with her fists. Draco tried his best to ignore them, and convince himself that they were not real, since no one else could see them. The voices had disappeared; they had been replaced with the nagging voices of his parents. They intensified radically when he was in the presence of Eva, Sam or Hermione. When he found himself with Eva, his mother would scream. "IShe's a dirty half-breed./I" When he was with Sam, she would constantly mutter he was traitor to his 'best friend' Blaise Zabini. However, her taunts when Draco was around Sam and Eva was nothing compared to when he was with Hermione. She was scream at him the entire time; her ghastly being would wrap her long skinny fingers around the bright pink skin of Hermione's neck, and pretend to choke her. Then when he and Hermione eventually succumbed to temptation, she would stare the whole entire time and utter, "IYour just as unfaithful as your father./I"
"IWorthless, disloyal, cold, harsh, desperate and despicable blood traitor, you are a shame to all Malfoys0."/I Her shrill voice would taunt until he was almost ready to yank his hair out by the roots, throughout all of this, Lucius's specter would remain silent, watching him, a disapproving look in his eye that drove Draco insane. There was nothing that he disliked more than disappointing that man. Even in the aftermath of his demise, Draco continued to disappoint him.
This day, much to Draco's relief, his mother's specter was nowhere to be found, but his father's was slowly following him into Dumbledore's office. Draco looked straight ahead, his eyes blank, dark circles under his eyes; he had not slept in days, they kept him up at night. The inhabitants of the room quickly skittered to their feet when the young Slytherin arrived. Draco's piercing gray eyes fell upon the familiar smiling face of Belinda Castlerock. She beamed at him, despite his fragile appearance.
"Hello Draco!" she exclaimed, she tottered over and kissed both of his cheeks. Draco smiled uneasily before his eyes slowly scanned the room, much to his surprise; Dumbledore and McGonagall were nowhere to be found. Instead, there was young man with dark brown curls and bright blue eyes, and a bright freckled round face, sitting in a chair besides Dumbledore's empty seat.
"Where's the headmaster?" Draco asked grimly, his eyes suddenly fell on the apparition of his father as he sat down in Dumbledore's empty seat, a look of malice on his semi-transparent face.
"Oh, he decided that this should be a private meeting. He kindly lent us his office so Mr. Barboyle and I can speak with you." Castlerock said brightly, she motioned towards the wiry wizard seated next to his father's specter. The young wizard nodded jovially and motioned Draco closer to him. Draco hesitantly obliged, Belinda Castlerock still holding on firmly to his shoulders, the kind wizard stuck out his hand, and Draco cautiously took it.
"Hello Mr. Malfoy, I'm Vincent Barboyle, I'm a healer at St. Mungos." He said, his voice unusually deep. Draco stared at him, he looked no older than thirty-five. "Sit down, please." Mr. Barboyle commanded, Mrs. Castlerock forcefully pushed Draco down in his chair, her face still contorted into a strained smiled.
"Do you know exactly why you're here Mr. Malfoy?" Mr. Barboyle asked as he casually leaned back into his chair. Mrs. Castlerock quietly summoned a chair with her wand and sat down besides Draco finally releasing Draco from her grip. Draco stared at the young Healer, his body tense, trying to avoid staring at the specter beside him.
"Draco," he corrected. Mr. Barboyle grinned at him, his eyebrow lifted in interest.
"Pardon me, do you know why you're here, IDraco/I?" Mr. Barboyle smiled, his voice putting a slight emphasis on Draco's name. His demeanor reminded Draco of a younger Gilderoy Lockhart.
"Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall were wishing to speak with me." Draco replied. Mr. Barboyle raised an eyebrow as he placed his fingertips together.
"About what exactly?" he asked. Draco stared at him blankly; he wasn't even sure what he was expecting their meeting to be about.
"Uh…" Draco's voice trailed off, trying to come up with an answer. IAny bullshit would do./I Draco thought to himself, "My behavior I suppose."
"Your behavior?" the young healer inquired. Draco was starting to become agitated with all of his questions. When he failed to answer him, Barboyle sighed loudly as he sat up in his chair, he flashed Belinda Castlerock a strange look.
"Mrs. Castlerock has informed me that you have had several outbursts in the pass five months. Trying to attack your headmaster…" Barboyle paused; he reached forward and grabbed a piece of parchment off Dumbledore's desk. "An anxiety attack on your first night back at Hogwarts, and the outburst during breakfast, where you insulted and degraded yourself and your fellow classmates. Umm…" Barboyle's blue eyes scanned the paper, "Oh, let's not forget the duel you had on the Slytherin table during dinner in the Great Hall. Also, your marks have been declining, you have been skipping classes, and you quit the Slytherin Quidditch team." Barboyle finished, he looked up at Draco waiting for him to respond. Draco stared at him blankly and he ran over everything he just said, his mind was so gone he had forgotten he had quit the Slytherin Quidditch team.
"Draco," Barboyle paused, "Do you see your life after your parents' untimely death going on to a more positive or negative path?" he finished. Draco looked up at him blankly; his eyes widened as he watched the specter of his father slowly stand up and began to float around the room.
"I'm here to help you Draco, not hurt you." The Healer said hesitantly after realizing that Draco was not going to respond. Castlerock heaved a heavy sigh, looking up at Barboyle, a pleading look in her eye.
"Let's not beat around the bush, shall we?" Barboyle asked, his tone abnormally jovial. He looked at Castlerock as if returning something. "We understand that your in grief, and that it's a long process, but we've decided it be best if you came with me to St. Mungo's… to get better." Barboyle said gravely. Draco's eyes widened in shock, he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. II can't leave Hogwarts!/I He screamed. His eyes slowly fell upon the apparition of his father, he was laughing.
"Do you see where loving gets you, in the mental ward at St. Mungo's." the specter spat, speaking for the first time. Draco shook his head furiously as he grabbed upon the armrests of his chair.
"Your not making me go anywhere. There's Inothing/I wrong with me!" Draco roared. Barboyle looked up at him and shook his head in disapproval. Castlerock stared at Barboyle as if she wanted to speak, but she remained silent.
"You may not understand this Draco, but we have discovered some information about you that your father has kept hidden. We found it in his office at the manor. You have a Muggle mental disorder, a very serious disorder." The man explained, his tone unusually low. "We'll only be keeping you for four or five weeks, you'll come back Draco, I promise."
"A Malfoy, being committed! This is the day!" The apparition of his father spat. "It's the curse… the curse." It repeated over and over again. Draco covered his ears; he could feel his sanity slowly slip away from him. "Leave me alone! Just shut it for once! Please! It's not a curse and I'm not sick!" Draco shrieked, he jumped up from his chair and starting swinging furiously at the apparition in front of him. Lucius laughed dryly.
"They can't see me Draco, you're just providing them the proof that you've lost your mind. Your crazy." The apparition snapped. Draco continued to shriek and yell before he felt Barboyle slowly grab him and bring him to the floor. Draco continued to kick and scream as he struggled out of the man's death hold.
"I'mI not/I crazy! You are the crazy one!" Draco roared, "You've done this to me!" he roared again, he shut his eyes, wishing that this had all been a nightmare. That he had been sleeping for months, that he could wake up in the arms of Hermione again, his parents very much alive. His mind still alert, Blaise still his friend, and Eva and Sam far away from Hogwarts. However, it wasn't a dream, he opened his eyes to find the apparition gone and the grim faces of Belinda Castlerock and Vincent Barboyle. Draco tried to move, but soon realized that they had stunned him. He watched them slowly crawl to their feet, and began talking about him in hushed voices.
"If we had someone to pack his things for us, one of his friends I suppose, we can have him at St. Mungo's and on a few potions in three hours maximum." Barboyle said to Castlerock. Draco could see her nod, and then kneel back down to look at him. "Have you spoken with Arthur Weasley about the sickness yet?" she asked. Barboyle nodded as he started to shove a long piece of parchment in to the pockets of his robes. Draco could hear the door of Dumbledore's office open slowly, and heavy footsteps.
"How'd he take it?" he heard a voice ask, Draco immediately recognized it has Dumbledore's.
"Bad, Headmaster. I suppose he was having a hallucination," Barboyle responded as he folded his hands across his chest.
"How could Lucius do this to his own son? Let this.. This… IMuggle/I disease eat away at his mind just for the sake of his own reputation in the Ministry." Castlerock asked solemnly. Draco could see Dumbledore bend over and stare at him sadly.
"The sooner we get him to St. Mungo's the quicker we can get him back to Hogwarts, where he belongs." The elderly wizard whispered. Castlerock and Barboyle nodded, Draco could hear several more people enter the room, and Dumbledore utter a few soft commands. Draco could feel a magical force lift him up in the air, he attempted to move, to scream, but his entire body was frozen. Everything seemed to happen in a blur as they paraded Draco down the main staircase and towards the door. He could feel his eyes desperately scan the corridor, his eyes locking with Eva. She stared at him in surprise, but she did not move. He watched several of his classmates stare at him in shock, but nothing could prepare him for the look upon Hermione's face. Her eyes were full to the brim with tears; she ran up to Draco and grabbed his hand. He desperately longed to speak to her; he grimaced as he attempted to speak to her.
"Where are you taking him?" Hermione asked, her voice quite shrill. "What's wrong with him?" she asked again. "It's okay Draco, you're going to be alright, " she said, her tearful eyes locking onto him. She started to cry, still grabbing unto him, "I love you so much." She said through her tears, "So much." She repeated. Draco could feel his heart sink, because he wanted to scream at her he loved her more, but he couldn't, he could barely even look at her. Draco watched Barboyle gently push her aside, "Please step away young lady." His voice said gravely as the main doors of Hogwarts opened up. Draco could feel the sudden blast of cold air hit his immobilized body. He could feel Hermione's warm touch evade his body, and then his world slowly began to spin around him much to his horror before everything went blank.
Draco drifted in and out of consiousness for a week until he finally awoke from his spell-induced sleep in a large room in St. Mungo's. He sat up hesitantly before taking in his surroundings, beside his bed were large bouquets of flowers, cards, and giant bags of chocolate frogs. He rubbed his eyes groggily before scanning the room again. The walls were decorated with large bright pictures of flowers, teddy bears, and various animals. There were several people in the room besides him; Draco stared at them one by one. Beside his bed lay a young Asian boy with straight black hair, and large almond eyes. He was humming to himself as he colored sloppily in a coloring book, not noticing the much older boy staring at him. Draco sighed before he began to scan the room again, his eyes resting on an older little girl with bright red hair, and dark brown eyes. She stared back at him, her eyes wide, as if she was in a short-term daze. Draco smiled hesitantly at her, the little girl's eyes widened before she ducked under the crisp white sheets of her bed. The smile on his face slowly vanished before his eyes scanned the room again, his eyes resting on a girl who sat in the bed directly across from his. She seemed to be around sixteen, her long blonde hair was messily put into random ponytails and pigtails, her deep blue eyes were wide and glazed over, her mouth open, she stared at Draco before she started to bark and hoot like a wild animal. She jumped up on the bed and fell onto all fours as she barked viciously at Draco. Draco reared back in horror as he continued to stare at her.
A motherly looking witch slowly swooped into the room and contained the strange blonde. "Now.. Now Celesta. If you be good I'll have Madam Honchikins take you on a walk, and perhaps she'll get you a few mince pies. " She smiled warmly, she patted the strange girl on the back reassuringly. The girl made a purring noise like a kitten as she slowly climbed back into her bed. Draco stared at the strange woman in confusion; she looked up at him and smiled.
"Look who chose to rise from the dead!" she exclaimed as she tottered over to Draco. She was a small portly witch, with dark black curly hair, large wire-rimmed glasses, and warm honey brown eyes. Draco stared at them, suddenly feeling a strange warmness coming over his body. He suddenly noticed that he felt immenselyI different/I, and then he had before he had been taken away from Hogwarts. The knot in his stomach, not only had loosened, but also had disappeared. The nagging feeling in the back of his head had vanished, and he felt ridiculously light, not burdened by depressing or haunting thoughts.
"I'm Madam Wildboar, one of the head healers on this ward!" she exclaimed, she however did not offer her hand for Draco to shake, instead she violently beat up the feather pillows behind him, "Sit back dear, sit back." She commanded. He hesitantly obliged as the heavyset witch tottered over towards the table, she picked up a plate, and turned around to sit it down on a small side table that had appeared over his bed.
"Eat this, we need to get some meat back on those bones of yours." Madam Wildboar commanded. Draco stared at the plate hesitantly before he picked up his fork and picked up a small meatball. The meatball was covered in a strange sweet and sour pineapple sauce; he slowly devoured the plate before he even reached for the goblet of water that the Healer had set out for him. He was going to ask for more when he realized she had walked across the room. The Healer stood smiling happily as a couple, the woman holding onto the hand of a small boy, walked into the room.
"Well Hello Mr. And Mrs. McGougan! What brings you two by?" Madam Wildboar asked brightly. The man, who Draco who assumed was Mr. McGougan, smiled at her before walking to the strange animal girl and kissing her on the cheek. Draco assumed that they couple were her parents. Mrs. McGougan remained silent, her face contorted into a strange scowl as she sat down besides the girls' bed, pulling the little blonde haired boy into her lap. The little boy, who appeared around two, looked up at Draco and smiled.
"We're in London for the weekend, so we thought it was fitting to visit Celesta before we returned back to Ireland." Mr. McGougan smiled; Draco noticed his Irish accent as he watched him remove his dark hat, his eyes suddenly landed onto Draco.
"My goodness… Samantha look, I know a Malfoy when I see one." The man said, he slowly walked over to Draco and gave him a wide grin. Draco stared at him in confusion, Iwho was this man?/I He thought cautiously to himself. Mrs. McGougan, put the small boy on the bed by who Draco presumed was his sister, and walked across the room to stand beside her husband. Celesta McGougan ignored the presence of the little boy, her eyes looking off into the distance dreamily.
"Draco, am I right?" Mr. McGougan asked, he stuck out a strong hand for Draco to shake; he stared at it shortly before taking it. Draco remained silent, staring at the couple in confusion. His fell upon Mrs. McGougan, Celesta was her spitting image. He also noticed the couple were wearing Muggle clothes.
"Oh dear boy, you look so much like your father." Mrs. McGougan said, her voice surprisingly deep for a woman's. She continued to stare at him, her eyes wide as if he hypnotized her.
"How long has he been here?" Mr. McGougan asked the Healer. The Healer walked to the opposite of Draco's bed.
"Only a week, Barboyle brought him in from Hogwarts. Sad thing really, losing parents." The healer muttered as if Draco was not even there.
"He has it, doesn't he?" the tall Irishman asked. Madam Wildboar looked up at Mr. McGougan then at his daughter who had proceeded to hum at the top of her lungs. Draco looked up at them becoming increasingly more agitated. Madam Wildboar looked down at Draco, before speaking.
"Perhaps we should talk about this someplace else." She said curtly. Mr. McGougan glanced at Draco one final time before placing his hand firmly on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he whispered. Draco watched them quickly exit the room, Mrs. McGougan sweeping up the small toddler in the process. Draco slowly lay back in his bed, his eyes suddenly feeling heavy. Draco closed his eyes, noting that Mr. McGougan never bothered to say that his parents were good people when offering his condolences.
"When can I go back to my ward?" Draco asked, looking down at his hands. He was sitting in the dimly lit office of Vincent Barboyle for the fifth time that week.
"In order for me to help you, you have to Italk/I to me Mr. Malfoy." Barboyle muttered; Draco rolled his eyes. He had grown extremely irritated by Mr. Barboyle. Ever since Draco had arrived at St. Mungo's, he took up the past time of sleeping, and Mr. Barboyle constantly interrogating him about his Ifeelings/I took away from his quality sleeping time. He learned to realize that sleeping kept his mind off his problems, and he could feel his body and mind slowly slow down from all the potions they were giving him. Draco yawned; he was trying his best not to nod off. Mr. Barboyle stared at him; he inhaled deeply before he spoke.
"Do you want to know why I have not spoken with you about what you have?" the young Healer asked bluntly. Draco looked up at him in mild surprise, he only knew that it was a Muggle disease, and all the Healers who fretted over him on a daily basis, never even elaborated exactly what it was. Draco looked down at his dark blue medical robes.
"Because I'm not really sick." He lied. Mr. Barboyle sighed loudly; he ran a hand through his dark brown hair.
"No Draco, you are very sick." Barboyle said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You have a Muggle disease called schizophrenia, it's a severe mental disorder. People who suffer from it often had trouble distinguishing between what's reality," Barboyle paused to look up at him, "and what's just in their minds. There are different sub-groups of schizophrenia, and I believe you are a paranoid schizophrenic." The healer explained; he stared at Draco as if expecting him to respond. When Draco failed to say anything, the Healer abruptly sat up in his plush office chair, and slammed his pile of parchment unto his desk causing the non-responsive Draco to jump back violently in his chair.
"Are you hearing anything right now? Voices?" the young healer asked quickly, the tone of his voice was slightly jittery. Draco continued to stare at him blankly.
"Are you seeing something? Anything?" he murmured, he leaned forward until his face was only several inches away from Draco. Draco continued to stare at him quite mechanically; he knew he was driving the young Healer insane with fury. Mr. Barboyle glared at him before finally relaxing into his chair. He reached inside one of the many drawers, pulled out a small red ball, and squeezed it tightly, the redness slowly draining from his face. The healer sighed before putting the red ball back into the drawer.
"Alright then, different approach." Barboyle whispered more to himself than to the defiant teenager sitting in front of him. "Let's talk about you Draco, Hogwarts. I went to Hogwarts." He said candidly. "I had a the-love relationship with that place, half of me hated it because of the people there, but then half of me loved it, it was a world within itself." He said, his voice barely above a whisper, his dark blue eyes locking onto Draco as he began to twist his fingers together in discomfort.
"Your in Slytherin, are you not?" Barboyle asked. Draco still avoiding his gaze, nodded slowly. The healer leaned back in his chair again and heaved a heavy sigh.
"Enough with the bloody small talk. I haven't the time or the patience for this, but I Ihave/I to do it. You either can be here for two more weeks, or two more years, it's all up toI you/I Draco." The healer said curtly, Draco looked up at him; he couldn't stay in St. Mungos for that long. The life he had left behind was in desperate need of mending, and now that his voices and hallucinations had faded, all he wanted to do was return. However, deep down inside of him, he knew his main reason to return was Hermione. He knew his relationship with her was beyond wrong, but his heart would not let her go. He needed her love, and her touch desperately.
"Are you going to talk to me now?" Barboyle asked gruffly.
"Yes," Draco responded, speaking for the first time in minutes.
"Great." The Healers face twisted into a satisfactory smile, he clapped his hands together, his eyes wide in fulfillment.
"Now that we're on Ispeaking/I terms, how about you tell me about Hogwarts." He said, adding a slight emphasis on the word 'speaking'. Draco slowly found himself looking at the floor again.
"I like it I suppose." He replied. Barboyle stared at him vacantly, as if waiting for him to say more. When he didn't, the Healer sighed again, before asking another question, "Do you like your Housemates?"
"I can't stand most of them." Draco answered. Barboyle lifted an eyebrow in sudden interest.
"Why Draco?" he asked gently.
"Everything about them feels forced to me. What we talk about, what we do, everything seems irrelevant. I have better things to do then pretend to like such shallow, superficial, vain, and derogatory people." Draco mumbled; he wasn't sure why he was telling Vincent Barboyle of all people these things.I What does he know about what's normal, and what's not? What does he know about what's going on inside my head?/I Draco found himself pondering.
"So you dislike all your housemates?" the healer asked after a long period of silence.
"No, I have some good friends who are Slytherins, but as a whole, I don't like my housemates." He replied. Barboyle nodded, he picked up a quill and quickly wrote something down. "Tell me more about your friends," he said absently while he continued to scribble something furiously only pausing to dip his quill into his intricate inkwell. Draco feeling uncomfortable, paused to shift positions in his chair, it felt good to talk to someone after spending two weeks either sleeping or eating.
"There's Crabbe and Goyle, they aren't the sharpest but their loyal. There's Pansy Parkinson, I've know her all my life, and then there's Blaise, he used to be my friend, but we've been having a row…" Draco's voice trailed off. Barboyle's head shot up from his parchment.
"Blaise Zabini, the boy you were dueling?" he asked inquiringly. Draco slowly nodded, switching his position in his chair again. "Mind telling me why you and Blaise were fighting that night?" the brunette asked. Draco could feel his mouth go dry; he swallowed hesitantly and folded his hands before speaking.
"We were fighting, Sam, my other friend, Blaise and I, about Sam's new girlfriend that morning. I don't know why, but I just lost my temper, and I exploded. Therefore, when I had returned for dinner, he had accused me of betraying him and valuing my new friendship with Sam over my much older friendship with him and my other friends. Next thing I know, we were all dueling." Draco finished; he could feel a weight being lifted off his shoulders, as he told the story.
"I see," Barboyle said intuitively as he continued to write furiously across the piece of parchment. "Professor Dumbledore told me all about that incident." Barboyle said again. Draco stared at him, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in the dimly lit office.
"He also tells me of a Eva Harrison, your girlfriend I assume?" the healer asked. Draco ran his hand through his messy locks.
"Yes," he answered politely. Barboyle continued to write frantically, he paused to look up at the younger man. "Her mother's a Muggle, isn't she?" he asked. Draco stared up at him in confusion.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Draco scoffed, suddenly feeling his blood slowly start to bubble.
"I knew what your father was like Draco. You and I both know he'd highly disapprove of your relationship with this Eva girl…" Barboyle paused to look up at him, his blue eyes shimmering maliciously, "Am I correct?" he asked, the quality and tone of his voice changing, his voice sounding almost identical to Lucius Malfoy's. Draco shook his head, closing his eyes and praying that his father's specter had not returned, Imaybe I am crazy?/I Draco thought to himself.
"Draco?" Barboyle asked, his voice returning to normal. Draco looked up at him, his eyes still wide. Barboyle smirked at him before he spoke. "Well that's not important, people change. Right?" he grinned. The young Slytherin slowly nodded at him, his bangs falling into his face in the process. "By what I've seen, she seems like a beautiful girl. Perhaps I'll let you owl her tonight," he smiled. Draco looked up at him in mild confusion.
"When have you seen Eva?" he asked, hearing his father's voice take the place of the young Healer's had put him in a mild daze.
"You were stunned, perhaps you don't remember. When we were first taking you to St. Mungo's, she grabbed a hold of you," he replied attempting to enlighten the teenager, Draco's eyes widened, IHermione./I However, instead of correcting Mr. Barboyle, he simply nodded, "That was her," he lied, if he couldn't have Hermione in reality, perhaps he could pretend. Mr. Barboyle soon dismissed him from his office, and as Draco strolled back to his ward to have dinner, his thoughts returned to his Healer's definition of schizophrenia.I Difficulty between distinguishing between reality and what's going on in their own mind,/I he thought to himself, suddenly feeling guilty for enjoying what he made up in his mind, even if it wasn't real, it was still Ihis/I reality. Draco laughed aloud before pushing open the door to is ward.
Draco had trouble sleeping the following night. Barboyle had kept his promise to let him owl Eva, but secretly Draco planned to write Hermione instead. However, Barboyle stood over his shoulder the entire time, so Draco had to force himself to write a short sappy letter to Eva, opting to leave out any details of him being schizophrenic. After sending off the letter with one of St. Mungo's indistinct barn owls, Barboyle offered him a chance to write another letter in exchange for another quality session the next morning. However, Draco, being a Malfoy, made sure to make the young Healer promise to let him write to whomever he desired.
Their session that morning had gone particularly well, Draco desiring to owl Hermione, talked for an hour straight about his childhood, much to Barboyle's satisfaction. Draco soon noticed, the more dramatic he became with his stories, and the more feeling he put into them, the nicer Barboyle became and the amount of questions the Healer asked him dwindled. Draco lay back in the warm sheets of his bed at St. Mungo's, the only people in the ward was himself and the strange Celesta. The ward was pitch black, and he could hear Celesta making her usual clucking and cooing noises.
Draco groaned, he folded his hands behind his head, and hummed a Weird Sister song quietly to himself, attempting to drown out the girl's loud noises. The girl noticing this clucked and barked loudly, as if she was trying to be louder than he was. Draco at first attempted to ignore her but after ten minutes of the loud animal noises, Draco sat up and heaved a heavy sigh.
"Will you shut your bloody trap!" he shouted. The girl's animal noises ceased, Draco looked at her uneasily, her face eerily illuminated by the moonlight. Draco looked at her closely for the first time; she was stunningly beautiful. She had rather delicate features, large almond shaped eyes, slightly rose-colored cheeks, and rather thin-pursed lips. She continued to stare at him, before she slowly attempted to speak with him,
"Yo… our Draacho." Her voice was scratchy, and her words were poorly put together. Draco stared at her; he had never heard her speak before.
"Yes…" he replied rather uncomfortably, he leaned forward to get a closer look at the girl.
"Draacho ho arts Celesta." She said slowly bringing her hand to her face, staring at him. Draco stared at her, mystified by her beauty and her eyes; they drew him in even more. They were deep dark blue pools, but they were empty, Draco noticed the same thing about her face, it had no life to it. Just her stunning face, and her vast blue eyes, empty.
"I'm sorry, it's just that it's late, and I need to sleep." He replied gently, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't know why, but he could feel his body slowly rise from his own bed, and slowly carry him over to Celesta's. She continued to stare at him blankly, while Draco continued to stare at her in amazement. He gradually sat down beside her, while Celesta continued to stare at him.
"How long have you been in here?" Draco asked inquisitively. The girl stared at him as if she did not understand; she folded her arms around her body, her long blonde hair falling into her face. Draco, in a semi-trance slowly brought his hand up to her long blonde locks, he slowly ran his fingers through it.
"Celesta hah was seen yo ouh in win dream. Nah wight tam." She said incomprehensibly. Draco strained to listen her; his hesitantly removed his hand from her hair.
"You've seen me in your dreams?" he asked. The girl grinned, showing her first emotion, and nodded. Draco blushed and lowered his head in slight embarrassment. Draco suddenly felt sorry for this Celesta girl, it appeared that she lived at St. Mungo's; she would spend hours making strange noises, or hours simply just staring at him. Her family seemed detached from her, and Draco could strangely identify with her. Being an outcast, being casually sat aside by people you care about, being underestimated. Draco smiled at her, and she smiled back, as if in a trance, he could feel his face lean forward, and his hand slowly rise to her fair face, his face soon following, he could feel the warmth from her pale skin and her slow warm breaths on his cheeks. However, Draco still in a mild trance from her beauty, brought his lips to her's, the girl froze up, and unleashed a blood-curdling scream. Draco covered his ears before he felt a pair of strong arms forcibly throw him to the floor.
"What in the bloody hell is going on here?" a voice roared. Draco looked up, as the lights suddenly turned on in the room, blinding him. Vincent Barboyle looked down at Draco, his normally kind blue eyes were alit in fury, several other Healers and nurse-witches walked into the room, trying to compose a howling Celesta. The chubby Madam Wildboar embraced the screaming girl, who was still seated on her bed, burying her head into her ample bosom.
"What have you done to her?" she snapped. Vincent picked up Draco forcefully from the floor and turned him to face the large group of grumpy looking Healers.
"I was coming up here to hear why Celesta was making such a commotion in the middle of the night when I found Mr. Malfoy here, Ikissing/I her!" Barboyle snapped. The group of much older Healers gasped, Madam Wildboar looked at her, her eyes ablaze in fury.
"Explain yourself this instant Mr. Malfoy!" she snapped. Draco looked down at the plain white linoleum floor, suddenly feeling very foolish.
"She was talking to me, and I just… I was in a trance, I couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry." Draco mumbled, his eyes still tracing the abnormal cracks in the floor. One of the healers snorted loudly, Barboyle's ears were now glowing a deep scarlet, and Madam Wildboar face shook in utter fury.
"Don't lie to us Draco Malfoy!" Barboyle shouted; Draco could sense how infuriated he was. Draco stared at them in confusion; a young looking nurse witch with dark brown hair looked up at Draco sorrowfully, but remained silent. Madam Wildboar's loud voice snapped him out of his short-term astonishment.
"Celesta has not uttered a word since her diagnosis six years ago! How dare you lie to us!" Madam Wildboar snapped, her fat jiggling, causing Celesta to bounce around uncomfortably in her embrace. Draco stared at her, she gave him an odd menacing look before Barboyle grabbed him and began dragging him to the door.
"You have made a dire mistake Malfoy." He said coldly as he pulled Draco out the door of the ward. He dragged Draco down the long corridor and down a flight of stairs, then down another corridor until he reached a door almost identical to his office. He finally released Draco and sat down behind a dark table. Draco looked around and realized it was a private room. The only objects in the room were a small table, two matching chairs, and a bed. Draco hesitantly sat down on the bed, avoiding Barboyle's cold gaze.
"What were you thinking Draco?" Barboyle asked coldly. Draco remained silently, because he still was trying to figure out what had led him to kiss Celesta. The healer, his face red in fury, slammed his fist unto the table and muttered a long string of obscenities to himself.
"You've crossed the line, do you know how much trouble you are going to get me into at the Ministry? A girl like that comes a dime and a dozen, and she's been my only patient for six years, and I've gotten nowhere with her. Nowhere." He muttered. Draco looked down shamefully at the floor.
"I'm sorry…" Draco's soft-spoken apology slightly echoed off the walls of the empty room. Barboyle looked up at Draco, his eyes wide.
"Did she really speak to you Draco?" he asked perplexedly. Draco looked up at him and nodded slowly. Barboyle sat back in astonishment; he rubbed the dark stubble along his chin before he spoke again.
"Well just my luck…" he muttered, he stood up slowly pulling a piece of parchment out of his robes. He threw it at Draco forcibly causing it to slightly unravel as it landed upon his lap. Draco immediately recognized it as his letter to Hermione.
"You were supposed to owl this…" Draco said gravely. Barboyle laughed dryly.
"How stupid do you think I am?" Barboyle asked coldly, he began to pace the room. "I let you send the first letter to your girlfriend just to be nice, but I wasn't going to let you write a letter to whomever you wished. Especially a letter about what you have," he finished. Draco looked up at Barboyle in disgust; he could feel a lump slowly rising in his throat.
"No more letters, no more walks, no more privileges. You will not be permitted to leave this room, we will have two sessions a day, Ieveryday/I." The Healer said callously. He walked towards the door, before turning to face Draco, a cold look in his eyes.
"By the way Mr. Malfoy, you just met the only other wizard who's schizophrenic. She opted not to cooperate with me, and look where it's gotten her." He sneered; he flashed Draco one final evil look before slamming the door behind him. Draco could hear the deadbolt on the door lock; he was alone again.
b
Hermione Granger
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"II chose the road of passion and pain
Sacrificed too much, and waited in vain
Gave up my power, ceased being queen
Addicted to love,
Like the drug of fiend
See torn and confused,
Wasted and used,
Reached across roads
Which path will I chose?
Stuck and frustrated
I waited debated,
For something to happen,
I just couldn't get it
Thought what I wanted what something I needed
When mamma said no then I just should have heeded
This night I bled until the poison was gone
Now from the darkness arrive the sweet dawn./I"
'I Used to Love Him' Lauryn Hill & Mary J. Blige
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
/b
"IDraco Malfoy/I?" Ginny Weasley asked in a flabbergasted tone, her eyes wide in an odd state of shock. Hermione looked at her before bowing her head, she had just told Ginny about her infidelity with Sam, and she made the now obvious mistake of telling her with whom.
"Wait, Draco Malfoy?" the stunned red head asked again. Hermione nodded before looking at the wooden tabletop. The pair sat in the back of the library on a late Saturday afternoon. Despite her guilt, Hermione had continued to spend more time with Draco. The amount of time they had wasted away together had grown more intense than the time they had spent with each other in fifth year. The longer Hermione continued her illicit relationship with Draco, the guiltier and guiltier she got. Her fight with Ron was also forefront on her mind, at every chance he could he would flash her scathing looks, and he had failed to speak to her for days. Harry, sensing the tension, simply chose to ignore it, trying to bridge the gap between the pair, but Ron would not budge. Deep inside of her, Hermione could not deny the fact that she knew why Ron was so upset. He saw her in a different light, a more positive light, and never would expect her to be doing anything wrong, but Hermione was committing the darkest of sins, and telling lies to everyone, she lied on a daily basis, just to satisfy her cravings for the man she could never have. Draco Malfoy. Hermione bit her lip hesitantly, and rubbed her eyes, she had spent the previous night with Draco and barely returned seconds before everyone else had returned from the Quidditch match.
"No, I… I don't even know what to say Herm!" Ginny said sharply, Hermione sighed before slowly starting to gather her books.
"I don't even know what to say to myself, yet alone to him. I…" Hermione's voice trailed off, "I can't seem to tell him that I want to end this." She finished. Ginny looked at her shortly before placing her head in her hands and letting out a sigh.
"Well, I don't even understand how this started. You and… Malfoy." Ginny spat his name like it was like venom. "What happened to all the pureblood this and mud-blood…"Ginny paused as Hermione winced before continuing, "Muggle-born that, Sam and him don't even seem on the sameI level/I." She said slowly. Hermione looked at her gloomily before running her hand through her hair cautiously.
"Draco is a really good person once you get past his outer appearance and, all those things he's said about… well everybody, he just does those things to make himself feel better." She mumbled; trying to make sense of Draco's behavior was a difficult thing in itself.
"Tormenting other people makes him feelI better/I?" Ginny retorted. Hermione, feeling herself becoming slightly agitated, groaned before deciding to change the subject.
"You're the first person I've told, well besides Ron, he caught us together." She grimaced, suddenly remembering that Ron was furious with her. Ginny stared at her before shifting her eyes quickly down to her thick Potions textbook.
"About being with Malfoy period, or the fact you've been shagging him behind your boyfriend's back?" she asked rather coldly. Hermione looked up at her in mild surprise, of all people she would expect Ginny to be on her side.
"That's harsh Ginny, you know that's not what it's about. It's Ifar/I from that." She said slowly, still shocked that Ginny would say such a thing to her. Ginny turned in her chair to face her, her normally kind freckly face contorting into a scowl
"I don't get you Hermione, what your doing is Ibeyond/I wrong, and you know it." She spat, Hermione attempted to speak, but Ginny furiously stuck up her hand, silencing a half shocked half hurt Hermione.
"I don't know if you've had your head to far up Malfoy's arse to notice, but Ron has adored you for six years now. ISix/I years." Ginny's tone slowly changed, her voice becoming softer, but her message still quite blunt. "Have you any idea about how much he loves you?" she asked, Hermione tried her best to fight the tears that were coming to her, she let out a small whimper before putting her face into her hands. She couldn't let the younger girl receive the satisfaction of seeing her weep. "Then Sam, you take him for granted. He puts his trust in you whole-heartedly, and you turn around and shag his best friend? And Harry.." Ginny paused; her eyes wide and her expression still cold, "Have you paused once to think of him at all this year? Not only has he lost his parents, but he's lost his mentor, and now his best friend." Ginny shook her head; she picked up her Potions book, and turned to an immobile Hermione.
"Get out of it while you still have the chance Hermione." She whispered, she stood up and slowly made her way out of the Library. Hermione stared at her, not succumbing to her tears until she heard the door slam.
Hermione remained in the library alone for the next hour before dinner before finally gathering to the strength to leave her domain. The young woman's mind was reeling; half of her agreed with Ginny, but then her other half, which was very in love with Draco, thought otherwise. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she often found herself blinded. When she was Draco, she could not think of anything or anyone else. All she could do was feel, breathe, and live him. However, she knew this was just a mere fantasy, because after their illicit deeds had been done, and then came reality. He had a girlfriend, she had a boyfriend. He had friends that would never agree or understand, and she had friends who simply thought she was too good for him. They came from completely unlike backgrounds, and their relationship ran hot and cold on a continuous basis, after being with him, she'd be more hurt than happy. II have to take a stand, I have to say no to him. /IHermione finally thought to herself, she smiled smugly that she had come to such a conclusion on her own.
By this time she had reached, the Great Hall with was teeming with activity. Hermione walked though the doorway of the Great Hall as her eyes lingered towards the Slytherin table. Blaise and Sam sat opposite each other towards the end of their table; firm frowns upon both their faces. Hermione sighed loudly to herself when she realized that Draco was not there. He had told her the previous night that he had a meeting scheduled with the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall about his behavior. When Hermione reached the Gryffindor table, she noticed that her friends looked unusually happy, save for Ron. Hermione's eyes briefly fell unto a silent somber faced Ginny before sitting down.
"Hello Hermione." Harry smiled brightly at her. Hermione smiled back, whispering a small greeting. Harry was seated next to a grinning Eva, and Ron sat beside Eva, a stern expression on his face. He stared at Hermione darkly before returning to his cream of mushroom soup.
"Hermione." Eva said smugly, her voice abnormally light. Usually she would flash Hermione evil looks, saying snide remarks in Hermione's presence, and only seemed happy when Hermione seemed miserable. IThen again, I deserve her ridicule./I Hermione thought sourly to herself. Hermione looked up and noticed the light atmosphere in the Great Hall, however several teachers, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall included, were nowhere to be seen.
"Did I miss anything?" she asked curiously. Harry looked up at her, stuffing a small piece of bread into his mouth.
"Dumbledore made an announcement about a Valentine's Day Ball." He replied. Hermione stared at him before looking down at the tabletop; she suddenly had lost her appetite. "I'm dateless of course." Harry muttered, his tone still considerably light. He was still in a good mood after the Gryffindor win the prior night. Eva smiled brightly, laying her soft hand upon Harry's shoulder.
"If I wasn't a taken girl, I'd go to the ball with you Potter." Eva flashed Harry a sweet smile that made Hermione seethe in mild jealousy and mild agitation. What was the point of her being with Draco when all she did was flirt with Harry? Ron, obviously thinking the same, gave a loud snort before returning to his soup. Eva ran her hand through her silky dark hair; her red highlights had faded considerably since Christmas vacation, before flashing Ron a scornful look.
"What was that for?" she spat. Ron shrugged his shoulders and continued to slurp up his soup rather nosily. Hermione could feel her face slowly grow red. She could feel another one of Ron's rude outbursts coming on again. Harry, sensing the tension between his fellow housemates, cleared his throat loudly and turned to the quiet fifth year beside him.
"Ginny, you're awfully quiet tonight. What's the matter?" Harry asked gently, the red headed girl gave a shrug, before flashing Hermione a disdainful look. Hermione could feel her heart sink, she hated to disappoint her friends, and there was Inothing/I worse than having a Weasley upset with up, yet alone two.
"Nothing." Ginny replied curtly. "I was just thinking of the Quidditch game last night, like that block Ron made last night against Ernie! We sure did show Hufflepuff, didn't we Hermione?" Ginny asked, her voice still as cold as it was in the dusty silent library.
"That was a great game." Harry piped in, he had begun to slowly cut his food up into tiny squares, Eva who had gone back to eating, was leaning considerably close to an oblivious Harry. Hermione rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling an immense urge to leave the table. She looked up at the Slytherin table instinctively. Sam smiled at her brightly, Hermione gave him an uneasy smile before scanning the table for Draco, and he still was absent. Her mind silently began to reel, as she felt an intense need to talk to him. The events of the day had caused her thoughts to slowly pile up on her, and she needed to unload them on him, he was the only person that understood. Then Hermione suddenly remembered what she had promised herself to tell him, she had to be friends with him. Her heart couldn't bear anything more or anything less.
"Wasn't it a great game Hermione?" Harry asked brightly, his green eyes shimmering. Hermione looked up at him, sadly regretting the fact she had only stayed for ten minutes before leaving to meet with Draco. Her thoughts returned to what Ginny had said in the library, she had indeed become a very bad friend to Harry. She never asked him anymore about how he felt because her mind was often clouded by the stress of her schoolwork, her confusing relationship with Sam, her unfaithfulness and Draco's problems. Hermione ran her hand through her hair nervously; she couldn't lie to him anymore.
"I wasn't there Harry." Hermione said, her voice low. Harry stared at her, his happy expression suddenly vanishing from his face.
"Why weren't you there? I thought you said you didn't have anything to do… you were going to cheer us on." Harry asked in disbelief, his voice reminded Hermione of a small child's after a big disappointment. Hermione sighed.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. Harry stared at her as if he had wanted to say something; he looked at Eva before slowly returning to his food.
"That's alright I suppose." He mumbled, even though Hermione knew that was far from what he felt. Hermione opened her mouth to say something when Ron snorted again; she stared at him, suddenly becoming agitated by him.
"Will you bloody stop that Ronald Weasley!" She snapped. Ron looked up at her in mild surprise, then his expression turned into one of mind amusement. Much to Hermione's disappointment, she often found Ron ridiculing and belittling her on a constant basis, but she couldn't force herself to be angry with him. Hermione desperately attempted to hide to hurt with every snide comment he made, but as they slowly grew worse, she grew better masking her feelings.
"Just stop." She repeated, this time her voice much softer. Ron continued to stare up at her, his glare piercing the very depths of her soul. She almost felt like he was cutting her open and reading everything from her soul, like an ancient scribe, his eyes growing wider as he collected more information. Hermione stood up, grabbed her school things, and haughtily made her way to the door of the Great Hall. Much to Hermione's surprise, she heard a loud rumbling of footsteps coming down the main staircase. She slowly stepped out of the doorway to the Great Hall, her eyes widening in surprise at what she saw. A group of strangely dressed wizards, who Hermione recognized immediately as healers from St. Mungo's, were magically carrying a limp red, faced Draco Malfoy. Hermione did not care anymore, her heart thinking faster than her mind as she called out his name. She pushed past a few graying Healers and grabbed his limp hand. She smiled wearily as Draco's eyes slowly moved unto her. Hermione gripped his hand tighter as several of the Healers attempted to push her away.
"Where are you taking him?" She could her herself ask, her mind so numb, her own voice seemed far away, distant. "What's wrong with him?" she asked, her hand still gripping his. "It's okay Draco, your going to be alright!" she muttered, even she didn't know what she was saying anymore, she was speaking from her heart. "I love you so much." She sputtered. "So much." She repeated again, she gripped unto him for dear life before a much younger looking Healer grabbed Hermione by the robes and pushed her aside, he muttered something to her that Hermione did not hear, but what she assumed as an order to let go of the young Slytherin. With all the strength she had in a withered and confused body, she finally released his hand and watched in horror as they slowly dragged him off into the chilly January night. Hermione choked back a sob because Draco was gone. She slowly stood up, Sam's wide gray eyes locked intently on her.
"What was I that/I?" Sam asked, his voice hallow. He had dragged a shell-shocked Hermione down into the dungeons. Hermione's mind was racing, half of her was contemplating where and why they had taken Draco away from Hogwarts, then the other half was angry at the mistake she made of causing a scene in the main hall of Hogwarts in front of her fellow students who all thought very badly of Draco Malfoy. She looked up at her boyfriend, still unsure of what to say to him. She knew she couldn't lie to him, but she knew that the time was not exactly the best time to tell him the entire truth.
"I.." she stammered, her mind moving at a thousand miles per hour.
"You… you what?" Sam snapped harshly, mocking her reply. Hermione folded her arms uncomfortably; she had never seen Sam so angry. She bowed her head and bit her lip so forcefully she could draw blood, trying to fight breaking out into tears. "Hermione… say something… I'm Ireally/I confused right now!" he snapped, his voice cracking. He stepped back from her and put his hands on his head, as he struggled to maintain his composure. Hermione suddenly felt grateful for the presence of the stone wall behind her, because without it she would have fallen unto the floor.
"Sam," Hermione managed to whisper, her voice hoarse. She couldn't believe she had slipped in front of everyone; it was ruined. Draco was gone, and soon Sam would be too. "Sam.." she whispered again, she stuck out her hand for Sam to take, but he swatted at it viciously, his eyes filled to the brim with tears. He stepped away from her again and swatted at thin air.
"I feel like such a fucking fool!" he muttered, he sauntered around the small corridor, fighting his fury. Hermione slowly sank to the floor in fear of him. The sheer strength of his fury was terrifying. "You've made a fool out of me! My…my best friend and I… I told you everything, I love you so much, and…" Sam's voice cracked as he fell unto the floor opposite to Hermione. He buried his head in his hands, and started to weep. Hermione stared at him, she always was aware of the fact that Sam loved her, but she wasn't aware at the lack of feelings she held for him. She adored him and enjoyed spending time with him, but she didn't exactly love him. However, she knew she couldn't let their relationship end, she had to say something, even if it wasn't the truth, she couldn't stand to see him hurting. She already had hurt so many people she cared about; she couldn't add Sam to the list. Hermione slowly rose to her feet and made her way towards Sam. She hesitantly sat down beside him and put her arms around him tightly, she kissed his head gently.
"I'm sorry for not being honest with you, my relationship with Draco is…" Hermione paused as he began to prepare herself mentally for the immense lie she was going to tell. "Deep and platonic." She said uneasily, Sam looked up at her, grabbing her arm firmly, his eyes scanning her face desperately which Hermione was trying so hard to keep vacant.
"Platonic…" he whispered, his eyes seemed to doubt her, Hermione nodded quickly. "But… in the main hall you… you said you loved him." He whispered. Hermione bit her lip, because she knew it was true, but she quickly returned to the task on hand.
"As a friend…" she lied. Sam stared at her for what seemed like forever. "He was the one." He said gravely, Hermione stared at him first in confusion, but then remembered their conversation in the prefects' common room a month prior. Hermione stared at him hesitantly before she spoke.
"That was last year Sam." She whispered, her voice hoarse. Sam groaned, "He's my best mate, and neither of you told me about this." Sam muttered, Hermione notice his voice slowly growing irritated again.
"Please… let's just stop this." Hermione snapped, Sam looked at her before freeing himself from her embrace and crawling to his feet. He reached out a hand for her to take.
"I'm going to fucking bed." He muttered, he only cursed when he was extremely agitated. Hermione grabbed his hand hesitantly; she hated leaving Sam upset. She stepped closer to him and kissed him softly, trying her best to satisfy his wants, and deny her own qualms about their relationship. Much to her surprise Sam kissed her back quite forcefully; Hermione silenced all her doubts as things became steamier. She tried to deny the fact that Draco was somewhere hurting, she continued to deny this as Sam led her into an abandoned classroom and began to tear away at her clothes. She continued to deny this as Sam softly kissed her collarbone, her breasts, and her abdomen. She continued to deny this throughout the whole night; Hermione felt like an empty vessel that he was using to heal his own pain. Being with Sam was vastly different then being with Draco. Sam was clumsier with his movements, and everything seemed messy and wrong. With Draco, it was smooth like it was being orchestrated, and it felt so deep, so incredible, she'd be in cloud nine the entire time. However, Hermione continued even though her heart was someplace else, longing for someone else so deeply, it hurt.
bOne Month Later /b
Hermione took another large sip of her butterbeer, before putting it down and patting Sam on the shoulder joyously. Ron sat across from them, laughing heartily. The pair had just told Sam various tales about the loveable Hagrid. They were all seated in the Three Broomsticks on a Hogsmeade trip. Almost a month had passed since Draco had left, and much to Hermione's surprise, his absence had been more beneficial to her relationships with all her friends. With Draco gone, she spent more time with Harry; Ron had slowly forgiven her for her actions, and spent more time with her. Her relationship with Sam had reached a new level, and she no longer had any misgivings about her relationship with him. Eva on the other hand at first seemed as affected by his absence as Hermione, but after the first two weeks, and only receiving one letter, she began spending more time with Harry. Hermione watched the pair disapprovingly; Eva acted as if Draco did not even exist anymore. Even though everyone knew that he was gone, no one dared to speak his name in the castle save for Professor Dumbledore. Hermione often saw Dumbledore constantly reassuring Sam that Draco would return, but Sam seemed to be dreading the moment. Hermione took another sip of her butterbeer before her thoughts were interrupted by Sam's voice.
"A three headed dog?" he asked incredulously. Ron nodded before taking a large bite out of his ice cream sundae. "You lot seemed to have your share of adventures up here in Britain." Sam smiled; his arm slinked lazily around Hermione. Ron looked beside him and realized Harry and Eva's absence.
"Where'd Eva and Harry go?" he asked, spooning another mouthful of ice cream into his mouth. Sam shrugged, but Hermione knew. She had watched the pair silently sneak into the toilets during her retelling of Hagrid's pet dragon.
"So Ron, found a date yet for the Valentine's Ball?" Sam asked lightly, sensing Hermione suddenly becoming tense. Ron looked up at Sam and shook his head, his mouth full to the brim with the sweet sticky vanilla flavored goo.
"You know I don't." Ron replied. Sam sighed loudly; he removed his arm from around Hermione to shift positions in the booth.
"Well don't be mad at me but… I found someone you can go with." Sam leaned forward, while Ron stared at him vacantly.
"You didn't Ihave/I to do that… I don't even want to go." Ron lied, his eyes falling unto Hermione. Hermione avoided his intent gaze by bringing her eyes back down to the table.
"She's a fifth year Ravenclaw. She's a doll, really trust me Ron." Sam said steadily, Hermione still kept her eyes down at the table, she heard Ron drop his spoon into his bowl.
"Erm…" Ron paused, "I'll think about it I suppose." He replied. Sam smiled; he leaned across the table and patted Ron on the shoulder. Hermione looked up at Ron and flashed him a smile, which Ron wearily returned. She opened her mouth to say something when she heard the door ring loudly as the door of the Three Broomsticks opened. Hermione ignored it, since it was a busy Saturday afternoon, but was surprised when Ron eye's widened. Hermione turned to look over her shoulder, and nearly fell out of the booth. Standing in the doorway of the Three Broomsticks was Draco Malfoy. A collective gasp escaped from all the Hogwarts students in the Three Broomsticks, Hermione, Ron, and Sam included. Hermione could feel her heart began to pound in her ears with every heavy-footed step Draco made towards their table, her heart rate quadrupled. Draco finally stopped in front of their table, an enormously wide grin plastered on his face; he looked incredible. He was wearing a brand new set of dark blue robes, and his hair was long and cut into a boyish bed head style. His face looked fuller, and his skin had lost its insipid and pale tone. He stood at the booth beaming at the trio. Hermione stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before she slowly rose to her feet.
"Hermione!" Draco exclaimed, before Hermione even had the chance to respond, Draco pulled her into a tight embrace, which Hermione felt obligated to return. He smelled lightly of the same scent that lingered in the air of the potions classroom at Hogwarts. Draco finally released her and grinned at Sam, who slowly rose to her feet. Sam hesitantly gave him a hug, flashing him a look of contempt that Draco seemed to be too thrilled to notice. He looked at Ron, and surprisingly flashed him a grin too.
"How long have you been uh…back?" Hermione asked after a strange silence. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the small tavern on them.
"Oh… only an hour or so. I was talking to Professor Dumbledore." Draco smiled, without invitation he sat down beside Ron. Hermione uneasily sat back down in the booth, and scooted down to let Sam sit down beside her. Sam stared at Draco before putting his arm around Hermione protectively, however Draco remained grinning, completely oblivious to the resentment Sam was feeling towards him.
"Where did you go exactly?" Ron asked, speaking for the first time since Draco had arrived. Draco looked up at him, the smile vanishing on his pink face.
"I just needed some time away from the castle." Draco paused, his eyes locking with Hermione. "I wasn't doing too well here, but I'm back now, and better than ever." He said his smile returning to his face. Hermione stared at him, suddenly remembering that Harry and Eva had snuck off together, but Draco did not seem to notice their absence.
"What has everyone been up to?" Draco asked lightly. The three teenagers around him continued to stare at him, unsure and unwilling to spark up a conversation with the unusually jovial Slytherin, Hermione included. Hermione continued to stare at him, unsure of what to thin. She was at a different place in her life then where she was when Draco had left Hogwarts. Then she desperately sought to end her relationship with him, but now it was more than a desire it was a requirement. "Oh… alright then." Draco said slowly sensing everyone's uneasiness. "Maybe I should be heading out then." He muttered; he slowly rose from the table before Sam finally spoke.
"No mate, sit back down." He said slowly; Draco looked up at him, his eyes suddenly alit. His face returned to the happy expression as he sat back down. Sam attempted to spark a conversation with Draco when the door in the back of the Three Broomsticks creaked open. A wall blocked off the entrance to the unisex toilets but from the angle where she was seated, she could see the plain wooden door quite clearly. Hermione could feel her heart sink as she watched a befuddled Eva and Harry walk out in each others arms, her hand in the back pocket of his torn Muggle jeans. Hermione could feel her face redden, she coughed loudly, and Ron and Sam quickly caught on and suddenly became extremely talkative.
"Hey Draco! How about we go uh… we go to the… the uh…" Hermione stammered; her eyes locked intently on Eva and Harry who appeared to be necking each other in the doorway. Hermione stared in disgust at Eva, suddenly remembering that she had too been that unfaithful, if not more.
"The Quidditch shop! Have you seen the new brooms they've been coming out with?" Sam asked quickly. Draco stared at him in mild confusion, before replying.
"I've already been by there. I'd rather just stay here." He replied lightly. Sam stared at him before flashing Hermione and Ron and uneasy look. Ron coughed loudly before putting his head in frustration. Hermione could feel her heart rack quicken yet again as Eva and Harry kissed each other then finally separated and walked towards the table, completely unaware that their embrace was in plain view of Hermione. Harry arrived at the table first, his eyes immediately locking with Draco's. Harry's large emerald eyes widened in surprise, but Harry remained silent.
"I should have known." Draco muttered, mostly to himself than to Ron, Sam and Hermione. Draco rose to his feet, and readjusted his robes. Hermione sighed; no amount of therapy and complete mental rejuvenation could erase Draco's contempt for Harry Potter. Before Draco even had taken a step to the door, Eva had arrived at the table. She looked up at Draco, a look of complete mortification on her face. Draco smiled uneasily at her; he shoved his hands in the pocket of his robes.
"Hey Eva…" his voice suddenly becoming soft. Eva stared back at him, unsure of what to say, while Hermione looked on rather guiltily, her hate for Eva suddenly intensifying tenfold.
"Come on everyone. Let's just sit down and relax, make Draco feel welcome." Sam muttered; Harry glared at Draco one final time before taking a seat beside Ron. Eva sat down on the other side of Ron, and Draco returned to his previous seat beside Ron and directly across from a sullen-faced Hermione. The six students stared at each other in an uncomfortable silence before Hermione broke the silence, her mind still teeming with fury. How Harry and Eva expected her not to notice them sneaking off to snog and canoodle each other in toilets, was baffling to Hermione.
"Eva, isn't that a coincidence how Draco here has come back a week before the St. Valentine's Ball?" she seethed; Eva looked up at her, flashing Hermione a complete look of disdain. Hermione rolled her eyes at her, Draco not noticing the exchange leaned onto the table.
"What ball?" he asked in mild confusion.
"Dumbledore arranged a Valentine's ball a month ago, it should be fun." Sam replied, returning to his long forgotten butterbeer. As Sam and Draco continued to talk softly, and Ron had returned to his sundae, Hermione found herself staring at Harry. Hoping that she could look into his eyes like she did before, and see what he was thinking, but Harry remained silent and his eyes remained empty. Hermione sighed to herself, afraid that she had truly lost her best friend to her. Hermione's eyes quickly locked upon Eva, a feeling of utter hate creeping up from deep inside of her. On the outside, she was beautiful, witty, and light. However, Hermione saw right through her act, she was the most vindictive and spiteful person Hermione had ever encountered, and she desired nothing more at that moment to see her struck down.
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Whoa! 11,000 words you guys! I know that took me forever, and I almost got tempted to post Draco's part by itself, being that it's been done for days now. I am in the home stretch of this story YES!
