Chapter 12: These Wounds Won't Seem to Heal
Hermione was let out of the infirmary three days later. She had woken up and hour after her second faint and after Madame Pomfrey's excellent care she was good as new, though very deeply shaken. Hermione returned to classes two days before Halloween, just enough time to let her try to have anxiety attack directly after her stay in the Hospital Wing.
Harry and Ron made sure to stop this from happening by offering to help her in replacement of Draco, who was, in fact, still in a coma and would not, therefore probably be of much help decorating the Great Hall. They planned to beging working two hours before the feast so at 3 Hermione headed to the Hospital Wing like she did every day, so she could have have some time with Draco before she had to start decorating.
She sat down next to him and held his hand. She liked to go over what had happened that day, even though Madame Pomfrey had assured her he wouldn't hear. She had read something once about how people stand a better chance of living if they have company and their visitors interacted as best they could with the patient.
"...Oh gosh and then Snape took 5 points from him, because he had his tie on wrong, how awful is that!?" She told him. It didn't feel weird to her anymore. It felt...right.
"What am I saying, that's not what I've been thinking about all day. I've been thinking about you." she pushed back his hair and laid her hand on his cheek, her other still grasping his hand.
"God he's so amazing." she whispered. Checking her watch she noticed she was late for meeting Harry and Ron. She got up, kissed him on the forehead and promised to come back after the feast, she might even bring him some pie.
She didn't see his eyes flutter as she turned to leave the ward.
Hermione arrived in the Great Hall 10 minutes late. Harry and Ron were putting up the huge banner the three had made earlier that afternoon.
"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late!" she apologized as she ran in. Harry waved his wand to get the last corner up on the wall and walked over.
"You're right Ron" he said simply.
"What about?" she asked.
"Well Ron here was just pointing out that this must be the first time you have ever been late in your entire life!" Harry joked, putting his arm around her. He and Ron had been really supportive and helpful and she owed them the world. Just knowing that they were there for her was enough to lift an enormous weight off her chest.
"Oh shut up guys," she hit him playfully.
"But where were you 'Mione?" asked Ron picking up some leaves they had gathered from outside.
"I was in the Hospital Wing" she said, and they could see the sadness setting into her face so they stopped talking about that.
"Hey, you guys gonna help me with these or what?!" Ron asked. She smiled and the two walked over. They each grabbed a pile of orange and yellow leaves.
"Ok, I'll do the walls, Ron you take the staff table and Hermione, you wanna put some on the tables?" Harry offered spots for them to split the work.
They started doing the job and soon the entire room was filled with colorful leaves.
"Ahhh this is looking too bright though, Halloween is supposed to be darrrrk and scarrrry" Harry joked, putting on his creepiest voice and making Hermione giggle.
"Well, let's darken the room and where are those pumpkins McGonagal promised us?" Ron replied.
"She said their in the storage room. Can you go get them?" Harry said as he made the lights go out and replaced them with a dozen floating candles which didn't offer much light at all.
"Oh Harry I can't see" said Hermione
"One sec, where are you?" he replied, somewhere to her right. She began walking towards the area his voice had come from.
"I'm over h- oomph!" she felt herself collide with something large. She and Harry fell to the floor.
"Harry, is that you?!" she asked getting to her feet.
"Of course it's me, who else could it be?" he joked as he lit his wand in order to have some more light to work by. He looked over her shoulder and grinned but she didn't know what at.
"It could be me!" a deep creepy voice floated over to her as a hand grabbed her shoulder.
"Ahhhh!" she screamed and ran at Harry who grabbed her and broke down in a fit of laughter.
"Hermione, it's just me, calm down" Ron said as he stepped into the pool of light emitting from Harry's wand.
"Oh you guys! Why do you always have to scare me like that?' she asked.
"Because your reaction is so funny. And you fall for it, EVERY TIME" Harry replied, still chuckling.
"Nuh uh. I don't fall for it every time. Just lots of the time." She acted offended but they knew she was giggling.
"Uh huh, so tell me when you have not screamed and run away" Ron folded his arms across his chest and watched her try and defend herself.
"Well...I...uhhh...ok well I can't think of one now. But I will!" she promised as the boys both cracked up. They both ran at her and began a tickle fight.
"Ahhhh, guyssssss" she said through the laughing.
They finished their work and by the time the feast started the hall looked perfect.
Hermione sat eating her chicken and listening to a joke Ron was telling.
"...And so then the guys says, 'no, I'm running away with your wife!' haahaaaaa" he cracked up and everyone else just sort of fake chuckled to amuse him. The problem with this was while it made Ron feel he had told a good joke, it also usually made him tell another.
"So did you guys hear about the guy and the sheep? Ok I'll tell you.." and he was off again. Sometime in the middle of dessert Harry got up to go to the bathroom. He came running back in a minute later, out of breath and with a very serious expression on his face. He whispered something to Hermione and she jumped up and ran out of the hall after him.
"Where are you guys going? I'm not done..." Ron gave up and figured he'd better follow them.
Hermione sprinted all the way to the Hospital Wing. She threw the doors open and ran down the ward practically bowling Madame Pomfrey over.
"Where is he?!" she screamed. The nurse pointed at a bed and bustled past the hysterical girl towards her office.
As she neared the bed she saw a large group of people standing around Draco. There was Dumbeldore and McGonagal and – oh no- Lucius and Narcissa. Draco's mother appeared to crying but when Lucious looked up and saw Hermione he turned on his heel and left the ward, a disgusted look on his face.
Hermione ran to her headmaster.
"Professor, what's happening. What wrong with him!?" she cried.
"His heart rate has gone up considerably. Listen to the machine beeping" she listened and heard the beeping was going incredibly fast.
"And...what's going to happen" she pushed.
"Well, this is a critical point for Mr. Malfoy. Madam Pomfrey is getting an injection ready. It will either save him or..." he trailed off and looked away.
Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Ms, Granger, you really should not stay. Students aren't allowed-" Professor McGonagal started.
"I HAVE TO STAY AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!" she screamed, suprising even herself. She was bawling now and her head was spinning. Everyone was in her way. She needed to get to him and they would not let her.
"Albus, what should we do?" Professor McGonagal asked him, eyeing Hermione carefully.
Dumblore turned to Narcissa.
"That is up to the parents." He said simply.
Everyone looked at Mrs. Malfoy.
"She loves my son. I know she does. And what he needs right now is love. The girl can stay" it seemd to take a huge effort for her to say this but when she did, Hermione ran at her and threw her arms around her.
"Thank you thank you thank you so much!" Mrs. Malfoy looked stunned and just patted her head.
Madame Pomfrey returned right at that moment.
"Ok, everyone but Ms. Granger and Mrs. Malfoy out. I have to give this boy his injection." Harry and Ron gave Hermione a loving look and left with the professors and everyone else who was there.
Hermione fell into the chair next to the bed and grabbed Draco's limp hand, squeezing it as hard as she could.
She watched as the nurse injected a bright blue solution into Draco's arm and they all waited. After about a minute they heard a groan escape his lips but then he was silent.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" cried Hermione, thinking the worst. She fell to the floor, still grasping his hand. As the tears cascaded to the floor, she felt a squeeze and finger brush her hand. She looked up, hicoughing slightly.
His eyes were open and he was smiling at her.
Hermione jumped up onto the bed.
"I love you so much" he whispered
He opened his mouth to say something else but she pressed her lips against his, forcing him silent. He kissed her back and though it only lasted a second, it was the greatest moment of his life.
"I love you too. Oh I was so afraid that you..."
"Shhh...let's just rest." He pulled her close to him and she laid her head on his chest, which was rising and falling, though only barely. He kissed her forehead and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Hermione visited Draco every day. She brought him his assignments and caught him up on all the school news. He was let out of the Hospital Wing a week later even though he still sustained cuts and severe bruises and was getting around by means of his crutches. It was Hermione and Draco's bad luck that they met Pansy on their way to their common room for his first night back.
"DRACO!" she screamed, launching herself at him. Her weight hit his unexpected body like a ton of bricks and his broken knee gave way beneath him.
"Draco! Pansy, you freak!" Hermione yelled, dropping down beside him. Pansy began to cry.
"Draco, can you get up? What's happening?" she asked. His face was turning horribly red and beads of sweat were forming on his brow. He was grabbing his knee in pain.
"Oh God. It hurts, Hermione" he said.
"Pansy, get a teacher!" Hermione ordered. But Pansy didn't budge. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"GO!" Hermione screamed and the sobbing girl ran away down the hallway. Hermione felt Draco's forehead.
"Oh, you're burning up. She better hurry."
A minute later Pansy was back and Professor Cepelak was with her.
"What happened?" she asked.
"It's his knee. Can you lift him? He needs to get into bed and I can't carry him up the stairs," Hermione replied.
"Yes. You take his crutches. Let's go," she lifted him easily and they started for the common room.
Three weeks later the term was drawing to a close and Draco was not recovering well. He had been taken off his crutches, only in the hopes that he might get used to walking without them and heal faster. Madame Pomrey had decided against using magic on his wounds because of the critical condition he had been in; she wasn't sure his heart could take the high doses require to cure him and so he would have to heal on his own. After he fell down the stairs twice without his crutches, he was given a leg brace so as to stabalize (sp?) his walking. This helped quite a bit but it slowed him down tremendusly. Hermione was assigned the task of hold his books for him because they had all the same classes and they both had special permission to get to class late.
This was all good and peachy but there was a slight problem. Both of their papers/ presentaions were due to the week before Christmas break and Draco was in no fit state to work. Hermione touched up his Transfiguration paper and Professor McGonagal had relieved him of his presentation duties but they both had to finish potions in less than a week.
The day finally came and they got through it by putting Draco on a heavy dosage of medicine to stop any pain and also keep him was falling asleep halfway through the presentation. This, however, also made him very giddy and he had a lot of trouble talking about his set of potions while laughing at the same time.
Though they had been completing many difficult obstacles, the world did not stop for these two teens. Snow layered the ground and soon all but a few students were away for Christmas break.
Ok, end of that chapter...I will add more very soon!!!
Whoever asked how many more chapter there are..if this is twelve the story has..15 chapters so 3 more after this! sob It's so sad it's all ending!! Jes
Hermione was let out of the infirmary three days later. She had woken up and hour after her second faint and after Madame Pomfrey's excellent care she was good as new, though very deeply shaken. Hermione returned to classes two days before Halloween, just enough time to let her try to have anxiety attack directly after her stay in the Hospital Wing.
Harry and Ron made sure to stop this from happening by offering to help her in replacement of Draco, who was, in fact, still in a coma and would not, therefore probably be of much help decorating the Great Hall. They planned to beging working two hours before the feast so at 3 Hermione headed to the Hospital Wing like she did every day, so she could have have some time with Draco before she had to start decorating.
She sat down next to him and held his hand. She liked to go over what had happened that day, even though Madame Pomfrey had assured her he wouldn't hear. She had read something once about how people stand a better chance of living if they have company and their visitors interacted as best they could with the patient.
"...Oh gosh and then Snape took 5 points from him, because he had his tie on wrong, how awful is that!?" She told him. It didn't feel weird to her anymore. It felt...right.
"What am I saying, that's not what I've been thinking about all day. I've been thinking about you." she pushed back his hair and laid her hand on his cheek, her other still grasping his hand.
"God he's so amazing." she whispered. Checking her watch she noticed she was late for meeting Harry and Ron. She got up, kissed him on the forehead and promised to come back after the feast, she might even bring him some pie.
She didn't see his eyes flutter as she turned to leave the ward.
Hermione arrived in the Great Hall 10 minutes late. Harry and Ron were putting up the huge banner the three had made earlier that afternoon.
"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late!" she apologized as she ran in. Harry waved his wand to get the last corner up on the wall and walked over.
"You're right Ron" he said simply.
"What about?" she asked.
"Well Ron here was just pointing out that this must be the first time you have ever been late in your entire life!" Harry joked, putting his arm around her. He and Ron had been really supportive and helpful and she owed them the world. Just knowing that they were there for her was enough to lift an enormous weight off her chest.
"Oh shut up guys," she hit him playfully.
"But where were you 'Mione?" asked Ron picking up some leaves they had gathered from outside.
"I was in the Hospital Wing" she said, and they could see the sadness setting into her face so they stopped talking about that.
"Hey, you guys gonna help me with these or what?!" Ron asked. She smiled and the two walked over. They each grabbed a pile of orange and yellow leaves.
"Ok, I'll do the walls, Ron you take the staff table and Hermione, you wanna put some on the tables?" Harry offered spots for them to split the work.
They started doing the job and soon the entire room was filled with colorful leaves.
"Ahhh this is looking too bright though, Halloween is supposed to be darrrrk and scarrrry" Harry joked, putting on his creepiest voice and making Hermione giggle.
"Well, let's darken the room and where are those pumpkins McGonagal promised us?" Ron replied.
"She said their in the storage room. Can you go get them?" Harry said as he made the lights go out and replaced them with a dozen floating candles which didn't offer much light at all.
"Oh Harry I can't see" said Hermione
"One sec, where are you?" he replied, somewhere to her right. She began walking towards the area his voice had come from.
"I'm over h- oomph!" she felt herself collide with something large. She and Harry fell to the floor.
"Harry, is that you?!" she asked getting to her feet.
"Of course it's me, who else could it be?" he joked as he lit his wand in order to have some more light to work by. He looked over her shoulder and grinned but she didn't know what at.
"It could be me!" a deep creepy voice floated over to her as a hand grabbed her shoulder.
"Ahhhh!" she screamed and ran at Harry who grabbed her and broke down in a fit of laughter.
"Hermione, it's just me, calm down" Ron said as he stepped into the pool of light emitting from Harry's wand.
"Oh you guys! Why do you always have to scare me like that?' she asked.
"Because your reaction is so funny. And you fall for it, EVERY TIME" Harry replied, still chuckling.
"Nuh uh. I don't fall for it every time. Just lots of the time." She acted offended but they knew she was giggling.
"Uh huh, so tell me when you have not screamed and run away" Ron folded his arms across his chest and watched her try and defend herself.
"Well...I...uhhh...ok well I can't think of one now. But I will!" she promised as the boys both cracked up. They both ran at her and began a tickle fight.
"Ahhhh, guyssssss" she said through the laughing.
They finished their work and by the time the feast started the hall looked perfect.
Hermione sat eating her chicken and listening to a joke Ron was telling.
"...And so then the guys says, 'no, I'm running away with your wife!' haahaaaaa" he cracked up and everyone else just sort of fake chuckled to amuse him. The problem with this was while it made Ron feel he had told a good joke, it also usually made him tell another.
"So did you guys hear about the guy and the sheep? Ok I'll tell you.." and he was off again. Sometime in the middle of dessert Harry got up to go to the bathroom. He came running back in a minute later, out of breath and with a very serious expression on his face. He whispered something to Hermione and she jumped up and ran out of the hall after him.
"Where are you guys going? I'm not done..." Ron gave up and figured he'd better follow them.
Hermione sprinted all the way to the Hospital Wing. She threw the doors open and ran down the ward practically bowling Madame Pomfrey over.
"Where is he?!" she screamed. The nurse pointed at a bed and bustled past the hysterical girl towards her office.
As she neared the bed she saw a large group of people standing around Draco. There was Dumbeldore and McGonagal and – oh no- Lucius and Narcissa. Draco's mother appeared to crying but when Lucious looked up and saw Hermione he turned on his heel and left the ward, a disgusted look on his face.
Hermione ran to her headmaster.
"Professor, what's happening. What wrong with him!?" she cried.
"His heart rate has gone up considerably. Listen to the machine beeping" she listened and heard the beeping was going incredibly fast.
"And...what's going to happen" she pushed.
"Well, this is a critical point for Mr. Malfoy. Madam Pomfrey is getting an injection ready. It will either save him or..." he trailed off and looked away.
Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Ms, Granger, you really should not stay. Students aren't allowed-" Professor McGonagal started.
"I HAVE TO STAY AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!" she screamed, suprising even herself. She was bawling now and her head was spinning. Everyone was in her way. She needed to get to him and they would not let her.
"Albus, what should we do?" Professor McGonagal asked him, eyeing Hermione carefully.
Dumblore turned to Narcissa.
"That is up to the parents." He said simply.
Everyone looked at Mrs. Malfoy.
"She loves my son. I know she does. And what he needs right now is love. The girl can stay" it seemd to take a huge effort for her to say this but when she did, Hermione ran at her and threw her arms around her.
"Thank you thank you thank you so much!" Mrs. Malfoy looked stunned and just patted her head.
Madame Pomfrey returned right at that moment.
"Ok, everyone but Ms. Granger and Mrs. Malfoy out. I have to give this boy his injection." Harry and Ron gave Hermione a loving look and left with the professors and everyone else who was there.
Hermione fell into the chair next to the bed and grabbed Draco's limp hand, squeezing it as hard as she could.
She watched as the nurse injected a bright blue solution into Draco's arm and they all waited. After about a minute they heard a groan escape his lips but then he was silent.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" cried Hermione, thinking the worst. She fell to the floor, still grasping his hand. As the tears cascaded to the floor, she felt a squeeze and finger brush her hand. She looked up, hicoughing slightly.
His eyes were open and he was smiling at her.
Hermione jumped up onto the bed.
"I love you so much" he whispered
He opened his mouth to say something else but she pressed her lips against his, forcing him silent. He kissed her back and though it only lasted a second, it was the greatest moment of his life.
"I love you too. Oh I was so afraid that you..."
"Shhh...let's just rest." He pulled her close to him and she laid her head on his chest, which was rising and falling, though only barely. He kissed her forehead and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Hermione visited Draco every day. She brought him his assignments and caught him up on all the school news. He was let out of the Hospital Wing a week later even though he still sustained cuts and severe bruises and was getting around by means of his crutches. It was Hermione and Draco's bad luck that they met Pansy on their way to their common room for his first night back.
"DRACO!" she screamed, launching herself at him. Her weight hit his unexpected body like a ton of bricks and his broken knee gave way beneath him.
"Draco! Pansy, you freak!" Hermione yelled, dropping down beside him. Pansy began to cry.
"Draco, can you get up? What's happening?" she asked. His face was turning horribly red and beads of sweat were forming on his brow. He was grabbing his knee in pain.
"Oh God. It hurts, Hermione" he said.
"Pansy, get a teacher!" Hermione ordered. But Pansy didn't budge. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"GO!" Hermione screamed and the sobbing girl ran away down the hallway. Hermione felt Draco's forehead.
"Oh, you're burning up. She better hurry."
A minute later Pansy was back and Professor Cepelak was with her.
"What happened?" she asked.
"It's his knee. Can you lift him? He needs to get into bed and I can't carry him up the stairs," Hermione replied.
"Yes. You take his crutches. Let's go," she lifted him easily and they started for the common room.
Three weeks later the term was drawing to a close and Draco was not recovering well. He had been taken off his crutches, only in the hopes that he might get used to walking without them and heal faster. Madame Pomrey had decided against using magic on his wounds because of the critical condition he had been in; she wasn't sure his heart could take the high doses require to cure him and so he would have to heal on his own. After he fell down the stairs twice without his crutches, he was given a leg brace so as to stabalize (sp?) his walking. This helped quite a bit but it slowed him down tremendusly. Hermione was assigned the task of hold his books for him because they had all the same classes and they both had special permission to get to class late.
This was all good and peachy but there was a slight problem. Both of their papers/ presentaions were due to the week before Christmas break and Draco was in no fit state to work. Hermione touched up his Transfiguration paper and Professor McGonagal had relieved him of his presentation duties but they both had to finish potions in less than a week.
The day finally came and they got through it by putting Draco on a heavy dosage of medicine to stop any pain and also keep him was falling asleep halfway through the presentation. This, however, also made him very giddy and he had a lot of trouble talking about his set of potions while laughing at the same time.
Though they had been completing many difficult obstacles, the world did not stop for these two teens. Snow layered the ground and soon all but a few students were away for Christmas break.
Ok, end of that chapter...I will add more very soon!!!
Whoever asked how many more chapter there are..if this is twelve the story has..15 chapters so 3 more after this! sob It's so sad it's all ending!! Jes