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Chapter 22 – It all comes out
The Christmas break seemed to literally fly past, the next thing they knew they were back in classes, Ron was still in saint mungo's getting better. Mrs Weasley owled Hermione asking her to write to Ron as he was better enough that he could receive letters now.
Hermione didn't really want to as Ron had scared her, but he was her best friend and she had to hope he would soon be the same old Ron again.
One Wednesday morning Hermione was getting ready for classes when she heard a loud bang come from the common room, it was Draco he had collapsed and was in the middle of the floor. Hermione levitated him immediately and ran to the hospital wing.
"Madame
Pomfrey" she shouted as she directed Draco over to the bed
"what
is it dear?" she said coming from her office
"Its Draco I heard a bang and rushed down to find him like this in the middle of the floor" she hurriedly explained
"well fetch Dumbledore" the nurse told her and set about checking Draco all over to see if she could determine what had happened.
"Ok poppy, how is he?" Dumbledore asked her
"Not very good" she said and shook her head. "I can't actually find anything wrong with him, but he seems to be gradually getting weaker and weaker"
"I
see" the professor said "Ms Granger could you please go and
inform the teachers that yourself and Mr Malfoy will be excused from
classes for the time being"
"yes sir" she said and
obediently left
Snape
slammed through the hospital doors, his robes billowing behind him
"I
told you about this Albus, I warned you" he said in a tone nobody
would dare dream of talking to Dumbledore in usually
"We didn't know if it was certain" Dumbledore told him "and we couldn't just let him go ahead with it unnecessarily could we?"
"But he could die" Snape shouted "it isn't right and I will not stand by and just watch this happen"
"You have no choice Severus" the older man said, his twinkle was completely gone and he looked angry.
"You are out of your mind" Snape snarled "and I am not standing around and doing nothing, I will put a stop to this one way or another"
"And just how do you propose to do that?" the headmaster said
"I will think of something" the potions master glared at him and stormed out
"What on earth is going on?" Madame Pomfrey said
"Not much poppy, Mr Malfoy's destiny is being shaped is all, just see he gets better" Dumbledore said and strode out
"Gets better?" she muttered "there isn't anything actually wrong with him"
Hermione came back a little while later
"how is he?" she asked
"No change really" the Medi witch told her "I just wish I knew what it was, I think professor Dumbledore might know but he didn't say"
"I will go and ask him then" Hermione said and stomped off to the stone gargoyle
"Come in Ms Granger" Dumbledore said "what can I do for you?"
"What is wrong with Draco?" she asked and sat down
"It is a small matter of his heritage" Dumbledore told her
"How do you mean?" she asked. She could tell he wasn't going to give away any information involuntarily
"well you see when a Malfoy is born he is baptised, but he is baptised in the blood of the dark lord, and when he reaches a certain age he is to join the dark lord, if he doesn't do so then there are serious consequences, now Mr Malfoy should have taken the dark mark three months ago. But he has changed. This has never happened in the Malfoy line before not even once. They are the most powerful pureblood family in the wizarding world, wizards across the globe both fear and respect them. They have a handbook on being a Malfoy that has been passed down from generation to generation. It tells them everything they should and should not do. How to behave, how to feel. But because Draco did not take his dark mark. He is getting weaker and will deteriorate slowly. He will not wake up now until Severus has given him a potion containing some of the dark lord's blood"
"That's disgusting" Hermione thought aloud
"Indeed" Dumbledore said "however because of this problem it means that if Draco doesn't take the dark mark within the next few months he will most probably die"
Hermione just stared at her headmaster in shock
"No" she said "not him as well"
"There is a way around this Hermione, which is what I have been trying to tell them. Draco could go to voldemort and request to join his ranks as is his destiny and take his mark, which would cure him entirely"
"But surely voldemort knows that Draco has turned to the light, doesn't he?" Hermione asked
"No he does not, Severus has made a number of excuses for Mr Malfoy that seem to have been accepted, the only trouble is getting the blood to make the potion, so that Draco can be awake to get the dark mark. Voldemort doesn't really like giving away his blood so much"
"But surely if professor Snape tells him that he needs it because of this then he would?" Hermione asked
"Yes but then he may also think that Mr Malfoy is only getting the mark to cure him, which he would be. Voldemort is evil and cruel, but he certainly isn't stupid" Dumbledore replied shaking his head
"Well surely you will find a way?" Hermione asked hopefully
"I truly hope so" the old man sighed
Hermione sat with Draco for most of the day trying to think of a way to help him. It wasn't much use as she didn't have much knowledge on this sort of thing.
She soon decided a trip to the library might help. Most likely the information she would be after would be in the restricted section but as head girl she would be able to get access to it from Madame Pince.
Draco was still unconscious but in his sleep visions of the dark mark and voldemort came to him. It was haunting in its way and he shivered and sweated, he let out a few small whimpers and Madame Pomfrey held some water to his lips to wet them for him. This seemed to calm him down a little but apart from that there was nothing she could do.
"god this is useless" Hermione said to herself as she slammed the umpteenth book she had looked at back on the shelf, she decided to take a trip to see professor Snape, he might have an idea on what to do.
She made her way down the steps to the dungeon it was quiet now as dinner was over and all the students would be in their common rooms.
Snape
was stood over a cauldron which was giving off a lot of steam and
frowning greatly, Hermione knocked on the door
"yes?" Snape
said and didn't look to happy
"I was wondering if there was anything I could help with to make Draco better?" she asked quietly
"I don't know" he told her "I really don't, I am lost as to where to get this blood from to be honest and I don't think he has much time left, Dumbledore isn't helping matters either"
She was shocked at his honesty and realised it was because it was Draco,
"Does he not have any relatives at all?" Hermione asked
"Not that anybody knows of, although you wouldn't admit being related to voldemort if you were would you?" he asked and let out a small chuckle. She smiled at that
"No I suppose not" she agreed, "I don't suppose a relatives blood would work anyway would it?"
"Not unless it was his direct descendant" Snape said "and I know for a fact he never had a child"
"Shame" Hermione said "I just don't know what to do"
"I will think of something" Snape said "even if it kills me"
Hermione frowned, "what if we got someone to sneak into a death eaters meeting and get some, and they could apparate away again straight away?"
"It wouldn't work, you can only apparate into a meeting, you cant apparate out again until the meeting is over" Snape said "I already thought of that"
"It's a shame he didn't need anyone's blood" Hermione began "Madame Pomfrey got loads from that time when we did our medicals at the beginning of school"
"Hermione granger" Snape said "you are a genius" he kissed her on the head and smiled
She just stood in shock and gawped at the professor
"Your right Madame Pomfrey has a small vial with blood from every student from when they begin school" he said "including one Mr Tom riddle"
"Brilliant" Hermione said and they both ran up to the hospital wing to visit the nurse
"You shouldn't be running in here" the nurse scolded as they came in
"Sorry" Hermione said
"Poppy" Snape said "where do you keep the blood samples?"
"In the room through there" she said and looked confused
"I
need one" Snape said
"who's" she asked "Draco's?"
Snape didn't wait about to answer her though he went through to the room and Hermione followed him.
There were rows and rows of vials all containing blood and they seemed to go back for miles, they looked for the year that Snape said they needed and Hermione found it
The vials were arranged in alphabetical order and they soon found tom riddles,
"This is it" Snape said holding it up, the blood was magically frozen so it wouldn't deteriorate
"How long will the potion take?" Hermione asked him
"it should only take a few hours it's a relatively simple potion its just the acquiring the blood that's meant to be the hard part. We were lucky" he told her.
With that he left to make the potion and inform the headmaster that he had found the blood
"Ah I thought you might eventually" Dumbledore said "didn't think you would have so soon though"
"You mean you thought of it but never told me" Snape snarled
"well
some things you have to work out on your own" the aged man
said
"and what if Ms Granger hadn't reminded me of the blood
store, would you have just left the boy to die?" he asked, he was
getting really mad now
"of course not" Dumbledore said "I would have told you I just am trying to prolong the day that mr Malfoy receives his mark, I know its selfish but I cant bear to think of it"
"I understand" Snape said he was cooling off now, but still thought something was odd
"Ms Granger eh?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled "never met anyone as clever"
"Even yourself?" Snape asked
"If I was as clever as she is at her age" Dumbledore continued "I would be a damn site cleverer now, she is really going to be something when she grows up"
"Indeed" Snape agreed "anyway I must go my cauldron needs to simmer for a while"
Snape worked in his office mixing, stirring, adding ingredients and such like, he only added half of the blood not daring to use it all incase of a mishap. The potion seemed to take on a black gunky substance. "About bloody right" he said and poured some into a vial.
Hermione was sat with Draco holding his hand and talking to him even though he probably couldn't hear her.
Snape walked purposefully into the room and Dumbledore closely followed him
"Is it ready?" Hermione asked
"Let's hope so" Snape said and passed the potion to poppy
"Fingers crossed" Dumbledore said
Madame Pomfrey administered the potion to Draco and they all stood and watched….
