A/N: getting writers block with the story. I know where I want it to go but as for how to get there…any ideas? Also sorry for the blatant rip off of Northern Lights. It just fitted in.

Chapter 10: The Hospial Wing

Draco ran as fast as he could up the tunnel. In his haste to get away from that…that thing he had dropped his wand. In the dark he tripped, twisting his ankle as he fell to the floor, cursing his own clumsiness. Scrambling back up he put weight on his foot, gasping as pain seared up his leg, but he had to keep going. He listened intently for a second for any signs that he was being followed, but he couldn't hear any.

'Of course,' he thought to himself, 'Something like that wouldn't make a sound.' Feeling panic rise up inside him like bile he limped on, his foot shooting wave after wave of sharp pain through his body.

Finally he burst through into the Slytherin corridor, panting, his silver blond hair plastered to his forehead. He was dizzy with relief as he saw the tall figure of Dumbledore standing in front of him.

"Draco. Tell me. Quickly my boy!"

Draco registered the anxious tone of the Headmaster through the dark haze that was rapidly filling his mind.

"She…She's back…Zarina Vavier…not here but here…soul…split soul…ankle…"

His eyes rolled back in his head as he crumpled to the ground. Hermione, who had been hovering next to Dumbledore, let out a small cry and ran forward. She cradled his head in her lap whilst her eyes ran over his body, looking for any injuries.

"Take him to the Hospital wing Miss Granger." Dumbledore said, a hard look on his face. "And then will you please find the Head Boy and Girl and tell them to come to me. Then either return to the hospital wing or go to your common room, but stay among people and do not leave the school. Although I doubt she will attack again tonight."

Hermione looked up at him intently, searching for answers to her many questions, but there were none that she could read in his impassive face. Putting a lightening charm on Draco she lifted his up and set off down the corridor.

"Oh and Miss Granger?" Hermione turned quickly, causing one of Draco's limp arms to fling out and crash into a statue. "Do be careful with him, we only want Madam Pomfrey to heal one ailment tonight." He winked. "Tell her I said you could stay with him." Hermione nodded gratefully, almost dropping her charge.

"Thank you Professor." She turned and hurried on her way.

Dumbledore watched the girl walk away form him and sighed. There were reasons for everything, and Hermione was about to learn a terrible truth. He had hoped to keep her safe from this a little longer, just as he had tried to save Harry. "It is the duty of the old," he sighed, "to be anxious on behalf of the young." He had made a mistake.

Hermione sat next to Draco's bed, watching as Madam Pomfrey administered a calming, healing potion: she could smell the chamomile from where she was sitting. His moaning became less and soon he was in a deep sleep.

Ron came in, followed by Padma. Hermione had just grabbed them and put them in the direction of the Headmaster before running back up to sit by Draco's bedside. Despite her distress, Hermione could not help noticing that the two heads were holding hands. Maybe this arrangement had benefited more than one couple.

"Dumbledore told us you had seen something with Ferret boy…Malfoy." Ron saw the look on Hermione's face. He saw her eyes flick towards the connection between him and Padma and then rest on Malfoy before looking straight back at him. He suddenly understood and was not at all happy, but this was not the time to go into it.

"Yes. Something…someone was there, in the place where I went. The one I told you about. We're waiting for Draco to wake up so he can tell us what he saw. He knows something about it…her. I think it was a witch, and I don't think it was real, and Ron, I think she's after me!"

The room was silent as everybody was hit by what Hermione had just said. Padma was looking at Hermione warily, as if she was about to whip out her wand and cackle manically whilst pronouncing herself to be this witch. Ron on the other hand looked as if he was about to be sick. And Harry…she stiffened as she realised that Harry had come into the room. His face was bright red and he looked absolutely livid about something. Ron spun round as he noticed that Hermione was looking over his left shoulder, then stepped back, shielding both Hermione and Padma as Harry opened his mouth.

"It's him! It's that fucking Malfoy! Can't you see how he's trying to lead you into danger? Or are you too blinded to see that you wh…"

"Don't even think it." Ron growled in warning.

"Harry I've seen a very different side to Draco recently. This is not his doing! It has something to do with me, and maybe even you, but nothing to do with him."

"Yes it has." Everyone carried on looking at the angry Harry for a couple of seconds before they realised it was not he who had spoken.

Draco looked paler than usual, but his eyes were open. Slate grey eyes, which Hermione had been gazing into barely an hour before. Seeing everyone waiting for an explanation, he grimaced slightly and began to speak.

"She's called Zarina Vavier, and she's a very strong witch. Zarina is a friend of my father's, and he knows her because...well, because she's a distant cousin of Voldemort. She modelled herself on him and has become incredibly powerful, yet has kept it a secret. Not in the least because she's being watched. She hoped to be greater than him, and it's you she wants to destroy, Potter. However, she believes that your power lies in the one you love, which obviously she found out from Voldemort and…" 'She will never forgive me.' he thought. "Me I guess."

He looked down at the plaid pattern of the blanket and was surprised to feel Hermione's hand cover his.

"You didn't know this…us…was going to happen. You couldn't have known." They gazed at each other, but it was broken by a loud cough from Ron and a strangled shriek of rage from Harry.

"Fine! Have her! You are wrong because I DON"T care about her. Don't come crawling back to me when he gets what he wants from you." He spat viciously at Hermione and slammed out of the ward.

"He's just jealous." Ron said to a bewildered Hermione. She had just lost her best friend of seven years. "He'll move on and it will all go back to normal."

Hermione cleared her throat and looked back at Draco, but she could see nothing of the arrogant boy she had known only a few days before.

"Well…um…you said something about split souls before you passed out." She said, shooting a glare at Ron who was trying to stifle a giggle. She continued. "Isn't that where a wizard can send out their spirit to do magic for them? And it can't be defeated by any magic, as it just passes through. I think the only way to stop it is to do a kind of complex binding spell, which freezes it, and then you shatter it, and it kills both the spirit and the wizard…I read about something like it in the library, but it will take a lot of powerful magic." She chewed on her lip as Draco nodded at her. He gave her hand a squeeze, which she seemed to draw resolution from.

"Well then, that's what we'll have to do."