Authors Notes:
This was my first serious attempt at fanfiction of any kind, therefore it is a little shaky. Mucho love to my wonderful beta, Chrissy. Much angsty inspiration from Linkin Park of all bands.
Enjoy!
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The first thing he realized was how uncomfortable the chair he was sitting in was. Standing up, he rubbed his sore back and coughed. He felt quite tired even though he had been asleep for so long. The second thing Draco realized was the presence of another person in his room. Hermione Granger was sitting in his bed, with his covers pulled up to her chest, looking supremely annoyed and also quite tired.
"What happened?" Draco said, surprised.
"It didn't work did it?" she said quietly. "I feel so tired. I feel sick."
"I thought you'd wake up at home!"
"Something must have gone wrong."
There was an awkward silence as they both assessed the situation. Hermione was in Draco Malfoy's bedroom, in his bed no less, and only wearing a nightdress.
"At least you're awake now..." Draco offered.
"What are we going to do?" Hermione ignored his comment. "What about your parents?" she said in a quiet croak.
"They're both away." Draco sat down gingerly on the edge of his bed. "I'm home alone."
Hermione looked at him, "Don't get any ideas Malfoy." She said briskly with a small smile, looking at where he was sitting.
"I'm not!" He stood up, blushing slightly.
"I've got to get home."
"I know." Draco paced the room. He looked back at her, she did look really sick. "Granger, are you alright?"
She tried to sit up but her body wouldn't let her. Instead she fell back slightly and closed her eyes. Her forehead creased and she let out a slight whimper. Draco rushed forward and dared to sit down next to her on the bed.
"I'm fine." she complained, trying to push him away.
"No you're not!" he said, grabbing her hand that was trying to push him back. "Your hands are frozen!" He looked at her and gulped, her eyes staring at him, sad and frightened. "Don't be scared, I'm not going to hurt you."
"Why should I believe..." but she suddenly closed her eyes in anguish again. "I think I'm really sick."
He hadn't let go of her hand and he felt it now, cold and icy. His heart leap into his throat as her fingers suddenly interlocked with his and she gripped his hand tightly. She was breathing in fast, husky tones, sweat was on her forehead. Instinctively Draco placed his free hand on her brow and checked her temperature. She had a fever. He felt a fear all through him. She could die; he had no clue of what he could do to help her.
"I'm cold."
How could she be cold when she had such a fever?
"I'll get you some blankets; I'll be right back..." he said, unlocking his hand from her grip, his heart wrenching as he let go. Why was he so upset to not have her touch? What was going on? He raced out of his room and grabbed some blankets off a bed in one of the many spare, empty rooms. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mador, lingering at the foot of the stairs. Draco thought for a second.
"Elf!" he shouted. Mador looked up expectantly and raced up the stairs. "Fetch me some tea, some food and...get me some more blankets and pillows!" Mador ran off back down the stairs. "Leave them all at the door to my room, don't come in!" Draco added, and then he turned back to his room with the blankets, closing the door behind him.
"I've got some more blankets." he said, walking towards the bed. The room was quite dark now; his candles had gone out. In a flash he found some more from the other side of the room and lit them with a spell. He placed a candelabra on the bedside table next to Hermione, then he picked up the blankets and laid them carefully on top of her.
"I've got some tea coming, and some food." He sat down again and looked down at her. "How are you now? Warm?"
She opened her eyes and stared up at him. Her face was wet with sweat but he noticed several marks on her face where tears had fallen. She must be horrified to be here with me, he found himself thinking. "I'm sorry you have to be stuck here. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
She coughed hard, grimacing in pain. Draco heard Mador putting the teapot and several plates of food down outside his bedroom door. He waited a minute and went to the door, collecting up the pot, the food and then coming back for the blankets and extra pillows.
He propped Hermione's head up, placing a pillow behind her. She shot him a look of thanks which gave him a small thrill of confidence. Then he poured her a cup of tea and sat down on the bed.
"Here, have a drink, you're probably really thirsty." he said quietly, holding the cup out to her. She took it in her cold hands and drank. Soon she held it out, and Draco put it away on the bedside table.
"Why are you being nice to me?"
"Because," Draco thought hard, he didn't exactly know why. Just that, somewhere, instinctively, he wanted to care for her. He knew that she was sick all because of him. She had spent so much time, in his dreams, lost and without food or drink. And now he had managed to wake her, of course she would be sick. "Just because." he finally stammered. She smiled slightly.
"Can you send an owl to my parents?"
"Of course. What do you want it to say?"
"I'll write it." she said, sitting up slightly. Draco fetched her a quill and some parchment and a book to write on.
"You're not going to tell them to arrest me are you?"
"Of course not."
He watched her slowly write the note and then fold it up. Draco whistled and a big, dark owl flew out from the darkness of his room and landed on the end of the bed. "Take this to the Grangers." he told the owl, tying the parchment to its leg. The dark owl chirped a response and flew back into the darkness and out a window. Draco got up and closed the window after it.
This was my first serious attempt at fanfiction of any kind, therefore it is a little shaky. Mucho love to my wonderful beta, Chrissy. Much angsty inspiration from Linkin Park of all bands.
Enjoy!
----------------
The first thing he realized was how uncomfortable the chair he was sitting in was. Standing up, he rubbed his sore back and coughed. He felt quite tired even though he had been asleep for so long. The second thing Draco realized was the presence of another person in his room. Hermione Granger was sitting in his bed, with his covers pulled up to her chest, looking supremely annoyed and also quite tired.
"What happened?" Draco said, surprised.
"It didn't work did it?" she said quietly. "I feel so tired. I feel sick."
"I thought you'd wake up at home!"
"Something must have gone wrong."
There was an awkward silence as they both assessed the situation. Hermione was in Draco Malfoy's bedroom, in his bed no less, and only wearing a nightdress.
"At least you're awake now..." Draco offered.
"What are we going to do?" Hermione ignored his comment. "What about your parents?" she said in a quiet croak.
"They're both away." Draco sat down gingerly on the edge of his bed. "I'm home alone."
Hermione looked at him, "Don't get any ideas Malfoy." She said briskly with a small smile, looking at where he was sitting.
"I'm not!" He stood up, blushing slightly.
"I've got to get home."
"I know." Draco paced the room. He looked back at her, she did look really sick. "Granger, are you alright?"
She tried to sit up but her body wouldn't let her. Instead she fell back slightly and closed her eyes. Her forehead creased and she let out a slight whimper. Draco rushed forward and dared to sit down next to her on the bed.
"I'm fine." she complained, trying to push him away.
"No you're not!" he said, grabbing her hand that was trying to push him back. "Your hands are frozen!" He looked at her and gulped, her eyes staring at him, sad and frightened. "Don't be scared, I'm not going to hurt you."
"Why should I believe..." but she suddenly closed her eyes in anguish again. "I think I'm really sick."
He hadn't let go of her hand and he felt it now, cold and icy. His heart leap into his throat as her fingers suddenly interlocked with his and she gripped his hand tightly. She was breathing in fast, husky tones, sweat was on her forehead. Instinctively Draco placed his free hand on her brow and checked her temperature. She had a fever. He felt a fear all through him. She could die; he had no clue of what he could do to help her.
"I'm cold."
How could she be cold when she had such a fever?
"I'll get you some blankets; I'll be right back..." he said, unlocking his hand from her grip, his heart wrenching as he let go. Why was he so upset to not have her touch? What was going on? He raced out of his room and grabbed some blankets off a bed in one of the many spare, empty rooms. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mador, lingering at the foot of the stairs. Draco thought for a second.
"Elf!" he shouted. Mador looked up expectantly and raced up the stairs. "Fetch me some tea, some food and...get me some more blankets and pillows!" Mador ran off back down the stairs. "Leave them all at the door to my room, don't come in!" Draco added, and then he turned back to his room with the blankets, closing the door behind him.
"I've got some more blankets." he said, walking towards the bed. The room was quite dark now; his candles had gone out. In a flash he found some more from the other side of the room and lit them with a spell. He placed a candelabra on the bedside table next to Hermione, then he picked up the blankets and laid them carefully on top of her.
"I've got some tea coming, and some food." He sat down again and looked down at her. "How are you now? Warm?"
She opened her eyes and stared up at him. Her face was wet with sweat but he noticed several marks on her face where tears had fallen. She must be horrified to be here with me, he found himself thinking. "I'm sorry you have to be stuck here. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
She coughed hard, grimacing in pain. Draco heard Mador putting the teapot and several plates of food down outside his bedroom door. He waited a minute and went to the door, collecting up the pot, the food and then coming back for the blankets and extra pillows.
He propped Hermione's head up, placing a pillow behind her. She shot him a look of thanks which gave him a small thrill of confidence. Then he poured her a cup of tea and sat down on the bed.
"Here, have a drink, you're probably really thirsty." he said quietly, holding the cup out to her. She took it in her cold hands and drank. Soon she held it out, and Draco put it away on the bedside table.
"Why are you being nice to me?"
"Because," Draco thought hard, he didn't exactly know why. Just that, somewhere, instinctively, he wanted to care for her. He knew that she was sick all because of him. She had spent so much time, in his dreams, lost and without food or drink. And now he had managed to wake her, of course she would be sick. "Just because." he finally stammered. She smiled slightly.
"Can you send an owl to my parents?"
"Of course. What do you want it to say?"
"I'll write it." she said, sitting up slightly. Draco fetched her a quill and some parchment and a book to write on.
"You're not going to tell them to arrest me are you?"
"Of course not."
He watched her slowly write the note and then fold it up. Draco whistled and a big, dark owl flew out from the darkness of his room and landed on the end of the bed. "Take this to the Grangers." he told the owl, tying the parchment to its leg. The dark owl chirped a response and flew back into the darkness and out a window. Draco got up and closed the window after it.