Draco's eyes were wide with anger and a hint of fear. What were they talking about? Ignorant fools.
"I demand to know what is going on!" he yelled, and everyone stopped talking.
"Mr. Malfoy, let me explain this to you. You are probably suffering some memory loss from the blow to your skull, and the coma. But, you fell after staying with Professor Snape one night. We know you don't remember it, but the professor would not lie," Dumbledore calmly said, looking at Snape, who was glaring at Draco.
"I don't presume he would, sir. It's just all so much…I'm sure you're all right," Draco mumbled, trying to keep his emotions inside. He wouldn't get anywhere yelling at them, he would only get kicked out. They continued to talk to him about the matter, and he just sat patiently until he could see his Hermione again. They hadn't mentioned her; wouldn't she have wanted to know he was awake? Hadn't she came to the Infirmary to check up on him while he was in the coma?
Mrs. Pomfrey insisted that Draco stay the night, to be watched for any more things wrong with him, but he refused.
"I'll just go back up to my room, I think. I need to get some things organized, for class tomorrow," Draco tried to persuade her, and she sighed. Snape pulled him aside, and whispered the Slytherin password so he wouldn't have any trouble getting in when he went back.
"Go right ahead, Mr. Malfoy, but if you complain of a severe headache, don't come running to me!" she sniveled angrily and scurried away. Draco turned right around and briskly walked out of the Infirmary. He noted that it must be very late, since there were absolutely no students about. The only clock was in the library, so he decided to go check that out. He opened the heavy door, and closed it gently. He didn't think anyone would actually be in there, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself by making loud noises. He proceeded to the other end of the library, when he spotted a dark figure at the end of one of the back tables, almost hidden from sight. Curious, Draco moved over to it, studying it in the dark. It was sprawled out on top of 3 books, all open. It was sleeping, whatever it was. Or dead. But he knew that was highly unlikely. It was probably just a student who had been studying, and happened to fall asleep.
As he moved closer to it, he noted the long hair that fell over it's shoulders gracefully, but it was a little matted and stringy. The face was bony, frighteningly so. It was definitely a girl, he figured. He put his hands up to her shoulder, and as he shook her, she was so light that if he applied just a whisk of more pressure, she would have fallen over. The shoulder's bones stuck out, almost like a skeleton. There was a little moonlight from the windows on her cheek, and he saw it was purple and bruised. Whoever this poor girl was, she was being beaten and starved. Who was like that at Hogwarts?
As he shook her gently, she opened her eyes. Hollow and dark, she looked up at him. Her open mouth gaped at the sight of him, and he could really see her face well now. He looked closer, shaking his head. No, it couldn't be!
She reached out for his face. Her fingers were cool, and a little of her sleeve hung off her arm. He could see how bony and deathly skinny her arms were. He shuddered. He looked back into her eyes, which had horrible, horrible, dark bags underneath them; like she had not slept in years. Her cheekbones stuck out so much, and her skin was clinging to them for dear life.
She tried to stand, but she had to attempt to do so twice. Draco just stood, holding in his tears as he saw what she had become. He embraced her, her frail body shaking uncontrollably in his strong arms. A single tear fell down his soft cheek, and he looked down at her. She was beaming.
"I..I never thought I would ever be able to hug you again," she whispered, hugging him as tightly as he could. He kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes. It was like whatever was not right between them was all gone now, after all this time. But….what happened to her? How had she become like this?
He took her by the arms, and he could fit his entire hand around her upper arms so his fingers overlapped each other.
"Hermione, what has happened to you!" he whispered, although crying out. He demanded to know. She looked into his steel blue eyes, and instantly, hers welled up with thick tears. She bawled uncontrollably, but quietly. She threw herself against his chest, and he pulled her away.
"Tell me," he whispered, moving her stray hairs away from her face. She shook her head, still crying. He couldn't stand this. Once he found out who or what had did this, he would kill them. But, he knew she probably wouldn't tell him here. He took her skinny, small hand gently, as if he would break it if he did otherwise. He started to lead her to his room, and she seemed to know, so she followed.
It was dark and silent as they made their way to the Slytherin dungeon, and when they came to the common room, Draco was relieved to see that everyone was asleep. He led Hermione to his room, which was only his. She walked in, and sat down on his bed, painfully remembering what had happened in that room over a month ago. It seemed like so long ago….
Draco shut and locked his door, and he went to sit next to her. He could see how she really looked in the light, when he pointed his wand at the candelabra, saying "Lumos!"
She was deathly pale. In fact, he probably wouldn't have been able to tell her apart from someone who was dead from starvation. She looked like a corpse….
He put his arm around her back, and he could feel her ribs and backbones. He couldn't hold her too tightly, as her spine seemed as if it would pierce through his arm. Hermione started to sob.
"I can't tell you, Draco! I just can't!"
Draco nodded.
"Yes, you can. And you will," he assured, as she shook her head.
"No! He will kill me!"
Draco stopped for a second. He?
"Who are you talking about?" he demanded. Hermione looked up into his eyes, stopping her sobbing for a moment. She let it slip. She looked around nervously, and she fell into his lap.
"That night you fell into the come….was the first night he came to me. He said if I told anyone at all, he could come back every night and do the same thing. But he did anyway, even though I never said a word or told a soul," she softly said clearly, as if she were in a trance. Draco stroked her hair, nodding.
"Can you tell me what he did to you," he said quietly, gently, looking straight ahead. She nodded.
"Every night, he would come to my room, and do what he would with me. Make me do things to him. Some nights, it would hurt so much that it would be difficult to fall asleep. I gave up, Draco. I knew you were never coming back, when I heard about your coma. And if you did, I knew you wouldn't care about me. I stopped eating, but I kept my studies up. I needed something to focus myself on, to not die. But I felt I had died, Draco, inside me I felt dead. And I knew there was no way to revive me, except if you came back to me. I always had this feeling, …. this small glimmer of hope that you might wake one day, saving me, taking me away from all of this pain and torture. And you did," she continued, and Draco nodded, still stroking her hair.
"Why didn't you think I would have cared about you?" he asked. More he didn't remember?
"Don't you remember?" she asked.
"No…I think I may have suffered some memory loss from that coma," Draco whispered.
"What is the last thing you remember? I will fill in the rest," Hermione offered.
"Well, the last thing I could see was you, sleeping in my bed, and I was watching you, thinking how beautiful you were and how much I…how much I loved you."
Hermione looked up at him.
"The next morning, you told me you wouldn't see me anymore because it wasn't us who was meant to be, but Harry Potter. You said it wasn't the way my life was supposed to work out, and I left. Within the next few days, I didn't see you much, but then we talked, or rather fought, and I told you how you were wrong, and that I needed you, not him. Then, I heard about your accident," she explained. It made sense to him now.
"Thank you, Hermione. Now, will you tell me, who has been doing this to you?"
"The one who you thought was so 'good' for me, Draco."
Was he ever wrong.
Review!!!
"I demand to know what is going on!" he yelled, and everyone stopped talking.
"Mr. Malfoy, let me explain this to you. You are probably suffering some memory loss from the blow to your skull, and the coma. But, you fell after staying with Professor Snape one night. We know you don't remember it, but the professor would not lie," Dumbledore calmly said, looking at Snape, who was glaring at Draco.
"I don't presume he would, sir. It's just all so much…I'm sure you're all right," Draco mumbled, trying to keep his emotions inside. He wouldn't get anywhere yelling at them, he would only get kicked out. They continued to talk to him about the matter, and he just sat patiently until he could see his Hermione again. They hadn't mentioned her; wouldn't she have wanted to know he was awake? Hadn't she came to the Infirmary to check up on him while he was in the coma?
Mrs. Pomfrey insisted that Draco stay the night, to be watched for any more things wrong with him, but he refused.
"I'll just go back up to my room, I think. I need to get some things organized, for class tomorrow," Draco tried to persuade her, and she sighed. Snape pulled him aside, and whispered the Slytherin password so he wouldn't have any trouble getting in when he went back.
"Go right ahead, Mr. Malfoy, but if you complain of a severe headache, don't come running to me!" she sniveled angrily and scurried away. Draco turned right around and briskly walked out of the Infirmary. He noted that it must be very late, since there were absolutely no students about. The only clock was in the library, so he decided to go check that out. He opened the heavy door, and closed it gently. He didn't think anyone would actually be in there, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself by making loud noises. He proceeded to the other end of the library, when he spotted a dark figure at the end of one of the back tables, almost hidden from sight. Curious, Draco moved over to it, studying it in the dark. It was sprawled out on top of 3 books, all open. It was sleeping, whatever it was. Or dead. But he knew that was highly unlikely. It was probably just a student who had been studying, and happened to fall asleep.
As he moved closer to it, he noted the long hair that fell over it's shoulders gracefully, but it was a little matted and stringy. The face was bony, frighteningly so. It was definitely a girl, he figured. He put his hands up to her shoulder, and as he shook her, she was so light that if he applied just a whisk of more pressure, she would have fallen over. The shoulder's bones stuck out, almost like a skeleton. There was a little moonlight from the windows on her cheek, and he saw it was purple and bruised. Whoever this poor girl was, she was being beaten and starved. Who was like that at Hogwarts?
As he shook her gently, she opened her eyes. Hollow and dark, she looked up at him. Her open mouth gaped at the sight of him, and he could really see her face well now. He looked closer, shaking his head. No, it couldn't be!
She reached out for his face. Her fingers were cool, and a little of her sleeve hung off her arm. He could see how bony and deathly skinny her arms were. He shuddered. He looked back into her eyes, which had horrible, horrible, dark bags underneath them; like she had not slept in years. Her cheekbones stuck out so much, and her skin was clinging to them for dear life.
She tried to stand, but she had to attempt to do so twice. Draco just stood, holding in his tears as he saw what she had become. He embraced her, her frail body shaking uncontrollably in his strong arms. A single tear fell down his soft cheek, and he looked down at her. She was beaming.
"I..I never thought I would ever be able to hug you again," she whispered, hugging him as tightly as he could. He kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes. It was like whatever was not right between them was all gone now, after all this time. But….what happened to her? How had she become like this?
He took her by the arms, and he could fit his entire hand around her upper arms so his fingers overlapped each other.
"Hermione, what has happened to you!" he whispered, although crying out. He demanded to know. She looked into his steel blue eyes, and instantly, hers welled up with thick tears. She bawled uncontrollably, but quietly. She threw herself against his chest, and he pulled her away.
"Tell me," he whispered, moving her stray hairs away from her face. She shook her head, still crying. He couldn't stand this. Once he found out who or what had did this, he would kill them. But, he knew she probably wouldn't tell him here. He took her skinny, small hand gently, as if he would break it if he did otherwise. He started to lead her to his room, and she seemed to know, so she followed.
It was dark and silent as they made their way to the Slytherin dungeon, and when they came to the common room, Draco was relieved to see that everyone was asleep. He led Hermione to his room, which was only his. She walked in, and sat down on his bed, painfully remembering what had happened in that room over a month ago. It seemed like so long ago….
Draco shut and locked his door, and he went to sit next to her. He could see how she really looked in the light, when he pointed his wand at the candelabra, saying "Lumos!"
She was deathly pale. In fact, he probably wouldn't have been able to tell her apart from someone who was dead from starvation. She looked like a corpse….
He put his arm around her back, and he could feel her ribs and backbones. He couldn't hold her too tightly, as her spine seemed as if it would pierce through his arm. Hermione started to sob.
"I can't tell you, Draco! I just can't!"
Draco nodded.
"Yes, you can. And you will," he assured, as she shook her head.
"No! He will kill me!"
Draco stopped for a second. He?
"Who are you talking about?" he demanded. Hermione looked up into his eyes, stopping her sobbing for a moment. She let it slip. She looked around nervously, and she fell into his lap.
"That night you fell into the come….was the first night he came to me. He said if I told anyone at all, he could come back every night and do the same thing. But he did anyway, even though I never said a word or told a soul," she softly said clearly, as if she were in a trance. Draco stroked her hair, nodding.
"Can you tell me what he did to you," he said quietly, gently, looking straight ahead. She nodded.
"Every night, he would come to my room, and do what he would with me. Make me do things to him. Some nights, it would hurt so much that it would be difficult to fall asleep. I gave up, Draco. I knew you were never coming back, when I heard about your coma. And if you did, I knew you wouldn't care about me. I stopped eating, but I kept my studies up. I needed something to focus myself on, to not die. But I felt I had died, Draco, inside me I felt dead. And I knew there was no way to revive me, except if you came back to me. I always had this feeling, …. this small glimmer of hope that you might wake one day, saving me, taking me away from all of this pain and torture. And you did," she continued, and Draco nodded, still stroking her hair.
"Why didn't you think I would have cared about you?" he asked. More he didn't remember?
"Don't you remember?" she asked.
"No…I think I may have suffered some memory loss from that coma," Draco whispered.
"What is the last thing you remember? I will fill in the rest," Hermione offered.
"Well, the last thing I could see was you, sleeping in my bed, and I was watching you, thinking how beautiful you were and how much I…how much I loved you."
Hermione looked up at him.
"The next morning, you told me you wouldn't see me anymore because it wasn't us who was meant to be, but Harry Potter. You said it wasn't the way my life was supposed to work out, and I left. Within the next few days, I didn't see you much, but then we talked, or rather fought, and I told you how you were wrong, and that I needed you, not him. Then, I heard about your accident," she explained. It made sense to him now.
"Thank you, Hermione. Now, will you tell me, who has been doing this to you?"
"The one who you thought was so 'good' for me, Draco."
Was he ever wrong.
Review!!!