Disclaimer: Please see previous chapters
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Chapter 7: Sweet smelling princes and comfy beds
"Drakey! I'm so glad you're awake – I was getting so worried, that maybe you wouldn't answer and then what was I supposed to do? I, having missed y..."
"I thought you were supposed to be in Azkaban." Draco cut off coldly.
Pansy transformed her bright smile for a look of utter horror. "Do you mean to tell me, Drakey, that you believe all the rumours you're hearing about me? I was on your side all along..."
"Cut all the crap, Pansy. I wasn't Head Boy for nothing you know. Just tell m why you're here, what my father wants you to do and where he is."
Pansy's expression faltered. "Look, I don't have much time to talk to you right now. Granger's nearby and so are other people, but I do have a lot I want to tell you. Promise me that you will meet me someplace as soon as you're released from St Mungo's. If you owl me, the owl will know where to go to find me."
"I can just as easily get Granger and her two friends to go instead. You know that they're working in the Defence Against the Dark Arts Office don't you?" Draco replied, arching elegantly one perfect eyebrow.
"You haven't heard me out yet. Please. Couldn't you just give me a chance?"
Draco sighed. Pansy was, in the end, an old acquaintance and he had jailed and killed too many five years ago to last him longer than a lifetime. Maybe he could us her to get information about his father's whereabouts. Just hand her over Draco. You know she's up to know good.
Draco closed his eyes again and rolled over in his bed. "Whatever."
Pansy gave the air a triumphant smil. Draco was just too soft inside, however cold he appeared to be. That would bring him his failure, that would.
"Cuckoo! Cuckoo!"
I glanced up at the annoying clock above the receptionist's desk and saw that it was getting very, very late. Closing my book 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen, I got up and started heading back upstairs to Malfoy's room. "Gosh, I wonder where the receptionist has gone," I thought loudly as two pairs of feet, one pair wearing exceedingly high heels, engulfed the darkness behind a pole in the corner of the room. I thought of reporting her to the Ministry, but, but then persuaded myself not to as I worked in the Defence Against the Dark Arts Office, not the Personal Relationships Office. Not that I would ever be able to work in such an office, having not had a boyfriend for about three years, and not ever going to get one either looking at the way things were turning out. Where was my Captain Wentworth?
Malfoy seemed to be fast asleep, along with the rest of the ward, when I arrived back to the room. Strangely enough, the bed at the far end that had curtains around it until this evening, was empty and showed no sign whatsoever of anyone having ever occupied it. It was probably cleared while I was caught up in my book down in the reception. I looked around Malfoy's ward while I pondered over the places on which I could sleep. I only found one thing. The chair that I had fallen asleep on last time. And with the sore neck that had risen from it, I was not doing that again.
I tiptoed outside and a nurse on night duty smiled as she passed by.
"Excuse me," I asked, "But is there a place for visitors to rest in during the night?"
She shook her head. "Unfortunately no. I'm afraid you'll just have to sleep on the wheely mat which you will find underneath the patient's bed."
So much for wanting to be comfortable. Oh well, at least I don't have to sleep upright on that hard chair. "Thank you."
I curled up on my side on the mat and held the thin blanket tightly around my chest. This was actually getting ridiculous. I was sleeping on a stupid mat beside Malfoy? If it was anyone other than Dumbledore who had asked me to do this, I wouldn't have done it for a million galleons...
"I can't help it if I cough!" A boy's voice retorted in the dark. "You try and stop coughing!"
"But I'm NOT coughing am I?"
Laura stopped abruptly and peered out from behind a statue of a gargoyle. "Filch's office is around here somewhere...if we want to sneak some food out of his office, we need to get past him."
John spoke up. "How about I..." Suddenly, with a loud gasp and a widening of his eyes, there was a loud crack and John disappeared.
Laura's hands flew to her face and the three children began to run hurriedly in the opposite direction.
"Professor Dumbledore!"
I placed my head on a different part of the soft pillow and rolled over. This bed was so comfortable...I focused back to my dream that I was having earlier. A prince, magnificently clad in deep magenta robes and smelling of sweet cologne, was carrying me through a forest surrounded with an abundant collection of mystical flowers. I smiled in my sleep and snuggled into the thick blanket as I tilted my head in my dream to look at the prince's face...pillow? Comfortable bed? THICK BLANKET?
I threw open my eyes and it took a while to register to the bright sunlight enveloping my face, but soon, I realized that I was sitting on a bed, underneath thick white blankets. And it wasn't just any old bed, but Malfoy's hospital bed! What on earth was going on?!
I looked around furiously for any sign of the blonde prat and just as I was about to leap from the bed and find him, the curtains surrounding his bed parted slightly and Malfoy crept in.
"Why am I on YOUR bed?"
Malfoy looked surprised to see me sitting up, but any sign of his first reaction disappeared within two seconds, as he smirked. "Don't ask me Granger, when you were the one who climbed onto it in the first place, waking a perfectly normal guy from his peace."
WHAT!! My mind did a rewind of the night, but I couldn't remember anything of the sort. My face turned a deeper shade of the magenta of my prince's robes, although I had thought that that was impossible.
Malfoy smirked, but there was something else to his eyes, like genuine laughter, as he spoke again. "I didn't know you were a sleep walker. Quite surprising you never burst into my room during seventh year. Anyway, your breakfast's on the table over there and there are two letters for you also."
I got down from the bed and sat on the chair by the table. I picked up my spoon and was about to dig into the cereal when I realized I was eating by myself. Had Malfoy already had his breakfast? I looked at him sitting opposite me in another chair, opening up today's Daily Prophet.
He caught my glance. "If you're worried about whether or not I've eaten my breakfast, then the answer is: Yes I have. The nurse brought in two this morning."
Gosh, he caught on fast. "I wasn't worried about anything, least of all you."
"Whatever you say."
Wow. No sarcastic remark? But he had already turned back to his paper. Munching on a mouthful of cereal, I opened up the first piece of parchment beside the breakfast tray.
Dear Miss Granger,
Due to an unfortunate event at Hogwarts, I believe that I will be unable to visit Mr Malfoy this morning. Please give him my apologies and I will call upon him as soon as this matter is resolved.
Best Wishes,
Professor Dumbledore
"A student disappeared from Hogwarts, it seems."
My head jerked up immediately to look at Malfoy. "What?"
"Here, I'll read you the passage: "John Grisham, a first year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has been reported missing from the early hours of this morning. He was outside Argus Filch, the school caretaker's office when the incident happened. Laura Whisby, a fellow first year student, said tearfully, 'He was talking to us when there was this sudden loud crack and before we could think, he had vanished, just like that.' Professor Dumbledore refused to comment, however rumour has already spread that this has been the work of the remaining Death Eaters who have been gradually gaining back power after The Dark Lord's fall. In the meantime, we can only hope for the boy's safety as we await more news.'"
Without a moment's delay, I grabbed the second letter from the table and ripped it open. It was from Harry – as I'd expected.
Hi Hermione,
I wonder if you've already heard about the disappearance of John Grisham, but if you haven't, you'll probably find out soon as I'd have expected it to be all over the Daily Prophet by now.
I hope Malfoy's not in too bad a state to be left alone for a bit as it would be really great if you could pop into the office for a couple of hours at least to help Ron and me sort this out. This is awful news for Hogwarts as well, seeing that it happened right underneath Dumbledore's nose...
Anyway, hope you can make it.
Love,
Harry x
Without realizing it, I was staring at Malfoy while I was thinking about whether I could just leave him be.
"What?" he said after a while. "Have you only just noticed how big a crush you have on me or something?"
I blinked. Drat that Malfoy ego of his. "No, I was just accessing whether you were mature enough to stay here by yourself without getting into trouble."
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I think I'm mature enough to go back home actually. Why? Does Weasley need you to be by his side while he figures out a solution to this SCARY incident?"
I could hear the sarcasm literally dripping form his mouth. "Shut up Malfoy. You sound like an eleven year old. I'm needed in my office, as this is quite a serious matter for the Defence Against the Dark Arts ministers to deal with. And I broke up with Ron years ago. Have you got a problem with that?"
"Ok, I'm sorry. But I really do think I'm well enough to go home, so I'll go ask Healer Jacobsen whether I can." He folded up his newspaper and got out of his seat while I stared at him dumbfounded, the fact that he had just apologized as Malfoy speaking to Granger, having not quite clicked in my brain. Maybe he really has matured...
Malfoy turned at the door to his ward. "One has to admit being stuck in a manky ward with no one to talk to but a bushy haired girl who sleep walks, is not quite one's idea of heaven...except for maybe Weasley's a couple of years ago."
ARGH! REALLY DRAT THAT MALFOY!
"What's HE doing here?" Ron shouted loudly in my ear as soon as we entered the room.
By referring to 'he', Ron's talking about Malfoy, who, as you've probably guessed by now, entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts Office in the Ministry of Magic with me.
As to why he's with m? Let me now explain.
I had finally come to terms with my senses a few minutes after Malfoy had left the ward, and was calming down, knowing that in a short amount of time, Malfoy would be gone...and I would be back with my friends, doing what I loved – solving mysteries...when I heard Mafoy and Healer Jacobsen come back into the room.
Mafoy was scowling, and that was not a very good sign to start off with. Then, Healer Jacobsen tells me that Malfoy's not well enough to leave St Mungo's yet as he'd suffered a great deal and it was already a miracle that he'd recovered so fast. Apparently, Malfoy still wasn't STABLE enough. But when was Malfoy ever stable? So, I decided I'd go to the office anyway and leave Malfoy to find his stability by himself. Even he thought that was a good idea.
That moment, however, an owl suddenly swoops into the room and drops a letter into my hands. I open it up to find this:
You must NOT leave Mr Malfoy by himself until I have visited him. It is vitally important to his safety that you understand this.
- Professor Dumbledore
Therefore, I tell Malfoy that I'm taking him with me to he office and ask for Healer Jacobsen's permission. He permits, only on the condition that after a few hours, I'll bring him back. Malfoy protests loudly and Healer Jacobsen looks at us with an amused expression on his face, before leaving the ward.
That's why I was here, stuck with Malfoy, for only Dumbledore know how long. "Ron, it's under Dumbledore's orders."
"It's not as if I WANT to..." Malfoy began to say, but I stepped on his toes, shutting him up with a grimace. I was not in the mood to see another of those immature fights between Ron and Malfoy, who are now two fully-grown adults.
Harry at least, had matured. "Long time, no see. I hope you're feeling better Malfoy. Please sit down." He gestured to the sofa by the filing cabinet.
"Who cares?" Ron said loudly. Harry and I glared at him and thankfully Malfoy ignored the comment.
I dumped myself down in my chair and ruffled threw the paper plane messages I had received over the past day or so. Nothing major. Putting them aside on top of a pile of loose pieces of parchment, I turned to Harry and Ron. "So, tell me everything you know so far."
"Have you read this morning's Daily Prophet?" asked Harry.
"Uh huh."
"Then you know most of the facts. I've been in contact with Dumbledore and he says that Laura Whisby, William Coal and Charles Packard, all first years, were outside his office at midnight, claiming to have seen John disappear." Harry explained.
"What were they doing roaming the corridors at midnight anyway?" I asked.
"Laura told Dumbledore that they had ventured out to steal some food from the kitchens." Harry answered. "It's highly likely that this was the act of Lucius Malfoy and the other Death Eaters hiding out with him, although we don't have enough evidence yet to clearly point in their direction."
I glanced uneasily at Malfoy sitting on the sofa. But he seemed to have absorbed himself in Harry's old copy of Quidditch Through the Ages and even though his face was hidden behind the book's covers, he was probably not even listening to us. I carried on with our conversation. "Do you know whether John's in anyway related to Lucius Malfoy?"
"We've been trying to search for clues to do with that all morning." Harry replied. "But all we know about him so far is that he's the only child of two muggle parents living in London and that he's in Hufflepuff. Dumbledore's promised to give us the details about the boy's home soon, after he's don some of his own research on the matter. It really caught him off guard."
"I know!" Ron suddenly exclaimed, causing my head to whip around so suddenly, I thought it would spin off my neck. "John was probably kidnapped by Filch and taken into the Forbidden Forest so that he could dangle him by the ankles to some weird tree!"
A sudden cough sounded from Malfoy's corner of the room. He had been listening all along after all.
"Although you do an excellent job in his office, you sometimes do come up with some of the most idiotic suggestion, Ron." Harry said, exasperated. "That's why I was so desperate to have Hermione back."
Ron grinned sheepishly, the tips of his ears glowing red. "Sorry. It was a bit stupid actually, that idea. I realized after I'd said it."
With a sudden fluttering of wings, a barn owl swooped into the room through a crack in the doorway and dropped something on Malfoy's lap before leaving. "I've got your copy of this month's Witch Weekly." Malfoy announced, holding the magazine up and revealing a photo of a man with floppy blonde hair smiling and winking on the cover. The photo strangely reminded me of my Defence Against the Dark Arts professor during Second Year.
A folded up piece of parchment, dropped from between the magazine's pages and Malfoy looked at it. "Oh, this is for m." He threw the magazine at me and I barely caught it in my grasp.
"This I the new winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award." I said dully to Harry and Ron as Malfoy read his letter.
"Pass it here," Ron said and looking at the magazine, both Harry and Ron began to laugh loudly. "Hey, Hermione, listen to this! Geoffrey Lockhart, winner of this year's Witch Weekley's Most Charming Smile Award, is nephew to Gilderoy Lockhart..."
This news was funny enough, but something about Malfoy's anxious countenance while reading his letter, caught my attention. Not that I cared about him. "Is the letter worrying?"
Harry and Ron both stopped laughing to look at Malfoy. He looked up and quickly folded the letter, stuffing it inside his trouser pocket. "It's nothing. Just some trivial plea to ask if I want to be entered into this year's Most Eligible Bachelor thing. I don't know whey they bother anyway when everyone knows perfectly well I'd win by far."
Amused at Ron's furious expression (he and Harry had both received letters too), I laughed and held out my hand. "Can I see it?"
He ignored my request and gazed into space as if in a trance. Suddenly, he broke free and said, "What's John's last name again?"
"Grisham." Harry answered.
The little colour beginning to come back into Malfoy's cheeks after the attack, seemed to drain away completely at the answer.
Something was definitely not right.
Author's Notes – I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry because I think it actually has been MONTHS since I last updated...I've probably lost all my reviewers by now! : ( cries. I truly and honestly wanted to update sooner, but firstly, I had school end of year exams, which I had to try and do well in...then my computer broke down...then I went on vacation where there was NO computer...and this was my first chance of updating. So please forgive me! I'm still on vacation, but I've finally arrived someplace with a computer, thank God. I really hope I haven't lost all my lovely, wonderful, fantastic, gorgeous, beautiful reviewers and it would be great if more reviewers are added on to my list! Thank you guys all soooo much, I owe you guys lots and lots! Love ya! Happy Reading and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! XX Hope you guys are having a lovely summer...well, it's summer where I am...but a lovely winter too, if any of you are in the southern hemisphere! :)