Crashing Down

It was two weeks to the day that Ron and Harry had stopped talking to Hermione. They showed no sign of taking her back, even though they no longer had her notes to copy from, or they had no help on their homework. Hermione wouldn't have minded, she had been outcast so many times before without seeing any hope of their friendship coming together again. But this time it was worse. Harry and Ron had told all their Gryffindor friends about what Hermione had done. They now turned and looked at her as if she was something really unpleasant, other times everyone just ignored her. Even Ginny her best friend had abandoned her. First it had started with taunting, but she didn't mind. Now though they were being thoroughly nasty to her, hissing and spitting every time she went near anyone, chucking small things at her, they were being so nasty!

Now Hermione often cried when she was on her own. She was forced to sit on her own, or with Draco but that didn't help as they had to make it look like they weren't friends (just to keep up appearances with the rest of the houses, as they had no clue what was going on and curiously the Gryffindor's hadn't told them). Draco was really supporting to Hermione, he listened to her, comforted her, but she still felt bad. She was even starting to get lower marks in class, as she was so depressed and upset, she couldn't concentrate and every one was so mean.

Finally after what seemed to be the longest week in her life, it was Friday. Now she could take refuge in her common room and not face anyone. Draco wasn't in the common room yet, so Hermione started reading her book again. She had barely read a page when she remembered that she had left her homework in the transfiguration room. She sighed and went down to get it. When she got there she found the door open as she expected. She looked at the place where she was last sitting and sure enough there was her homework. She let out a sigh of relief and went to get it. After receiving it she went to head out the door, but her way was barred by the two people she least wanted to meet. Harry and Ron. They just stared at her unpleasantly and continued to bar her way.

"Can you move, please I want to get passed" Hermione said timidly.

"Oh! Where are you going then? Off to have a quick snog with Ferret Boy? I suppose it was him who gave you that necklace?" Ron sneered. His eyes travelled to her throat where the ruby glittered there.

"Yes, and would it matter who I was seeing, and who gave me the necklace?" She replied, looking so confused how her best friends could do this to her.

"Well Granger, we don't care what you do, because Ferret Boy is the only person you're worthy of Traitor" Ron spat.

At this point Hermione burst into tears and ducked under their arms and ran all the way to the floor of her common room, knocking people out the way as she ran. Once up the stairs she forced away her tears, and attempted to control herself. However, she broke down again once more. She fumbled in her robe pocket for a tissue but instead pulled out a small vial. She realised what it was, her calming potion. She steadied her hand and uncorked the bottle and bought it slowly to her lips, remembering what happened if she took to much. She tilted back her head ready to let a few drops fall . . . WHAM!

Someone knocked into her from behind, her hand jerked, spilling half the potion down her throat, she swallowed with surprise and just had enough time to see who had hit her. It was Draco. She looked at him surprised as her knees began to shake and give way. He smiled at her unaware of what was happening.

"Hiya! Sorry about that, some prat bashed into me! I didn't see who it was, anyway . . . Hermione . . . Hermione? What's wrong? Why . . . why can't you stand? Hermione!" Draco ran towards her just before she hit the floor. Her heart beat was beginning to slow and her breathing became slower and deeper.

"Hermione! What . . ? What . . ? What's wrong with you?" Draco asked anxiously. Hermione lifted her hand towards him, her eyelids slowly closing as she began to relax. He took from her, her vial and in her neat writing was the label: Calming potion.

"Oh, no! Hermione! Come on Hermione talk to me, keep talking to me, I'll get you to the hospital wing" He lifted her gently in his arms and began shaking her, to try and keep her awake, she mumbled to him as he went as quick as he could to the hospital wing.

Hermione kept thinking how stupid this all was and she knew she should be more worried about the fact that she had drunk to much potion . . . but she couldn't be bothered, it was to much hassle! Why was Draco shaking her and urging her to talk? She just wanted to sleep, she tried to tell him to stop shaking her because she was so tired but all she could do was mumble, she just wanted the shaking to stop and for everything to go back the way it was.

Just as Draco smashed through the doors to the hospital wing Hermione's head drooped onto his chest. He panicked and called to Madam Pomfrey at the top of his lungs. She came bustling out of her office.

"What is it dear?" She asked Draco, "has the fainting flu got her too?" Draco shook his head in alarm. He knew the fainting flu had been going around but he thought it had gone in February.

"No, no nothing like that. She – I – Hold on. I got pushed into her while she was trying to take a potion, I knew she didn't mean for this to happen and well - . . . she was taking a calming potion!" He informed her.

Her eyes widened and she screeched "Why didn't you tell me this as soon as you came in, we have been wasting time, quickly put her on the bed, that's it. Now how much did she drink" Draco handed her the bottle, "Goodness me that's as good as half! Right, now, go fetch Professor Sprout, I need her! Go! Now!"

Without being told again, he went in search of Professor Sprout. He thought of the obvious place and went to the green houses. As he got out of the doors he saw Potter and Weasley coming back up to the castle, it looked like they had just been visiting Hagrid. Draco knew that he would have to almost pass by them but he didn't care. He ran straight by them, ignoring their curious looks, and at last got to the green houses. He saw Potter and Weasley staring at him but he didn't pay attention to them. He needed to save Hermione! He saw one of the green house door open and sprinted inside.

"Professor Sprout?" he called. He heard a faint 'yes' coming from the back of the green house. He wandered through and finally saw her with her arms in a compost heap.

"Professor, madam Pomfrey needs you . . . now! She sent me to get you" Draco gasped.

"Need me? Why does she need me?" She asked shooting Draco a puzzled look. Draco quickly told her what had happened and she came at once, washing her arms with a cleaning spell. Just as the got in through the doors of the castle she turned to him.

"Who is it?" She asked. Draco had this wild notion that depending on who it was, she would see if they were worth saving. He shook himself and remembered that she was a teacher. It was probably his anxiety taking over.

"Hermione Granger, Professor" She nodded and they continued going faster.

Just outside the front doors two people heard this and gasped in alarm.

It was Sunday and Draco was to be found in the hospital wing, sitting in a chair and watching a figure on a bed. It was of course Hermione. Draco had not moved from his spot since he had brought Professor Sprout to Madam Pomfrey. He just continued to stare at Hermione, willing her to wake up. When he slept, he did not go to her in his dreams, as they had often done at night. His dreams remained blank and untroubled. He just woke up every morning looking at Hermione and losing just a little more hope.

Madam Pomfrey had told him that if she did not wake up by Monday morning then that was it, she would be moved to St. Mungo's hospital. Where she would stay until they found a cure. Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout had given Hermione her potion and said if she didn't wake up within three days then there was nothing they could do.

Draco prayed for her every night, wishing there was something he could do, apart from talk to her, but she couldn't hear him. Still he rambled on and on, telling her how she would have to wake up because then there would be no one to nag him or snuggle up to him, and of course if she was still asleep then she would no longer be Head Girl. He laughed silently to himself at what Hermione would do if she found out she had been taken over as Head Girl. His laugh turned into a cough which turned into tears and he sat weeping at her side. Grasping her hand, unable to tell her how he truly felt, but trying his best to explain it.

Harry and Ron had visited Friday night. Seeing their once best friend lying on a bed looking as if she was dead, seemed to affect them quite a lot, they realised how horrible they had been to her, and seeing that Draco was by her side made them think that he couldn't be that bad. But they still didn't trust him. They sat and told Hermione how sorry they were, not sure if she could hear them, but hoping that she could. After that Draco was always on his own there, and Sunday night was no different. He was hoping and praying harder than ever before he went to sleep and kissed Hermione's hand before he fell into a deep slumber.

"I see it you know. . . even if you don't" A voice spoke out to Draco from the darkness. He recognised the voice at once. And spoke back.

"Come out and show yourself . . . Andre!" he yelled. Andre suddenly materialized next to him.

"I see it, even if you don't" He repeated, his eyes shining with glee.

"What's that?" Malfoy spat. His eyes showing hatred. Draco just couldn't believe that Andre had been alive for the past year.

"I see what you treasure the most!" He said in a sing-song voice. His lips turned upwards in a vicious smile. Draco looked confused for a moment and then a look of fear flitted across his face. He mastered it and replied coldly.

"I don't know what you mean" He looked at his former best friend, not recognising him, only seeing a cruel enemy.

"Oh, yes you do. You know what I mean. What would she say if she knew what you had just denied" An image of Hermione lying in her bed appeared beside them. Andre walked over to it and reached out his hand and stroked her face and hair. "You know this brings back memories, I stood over her bed and told her I was going to kill Dean soon, of course I didn't say his name . . . but well he's dead now!" His eyes turned back to Draco.

"Why did you kill Dean? It was you wasn't it?" Draco asked him.

"Yes it was me, but I didn't kill him personally but well I had to kill him, otherwise, you and her would never know what you felt for one another, and then my plan would never work" He told him. Draco was about to speak but Andre cut him off.

"She really does love you, you know. I see it in her dreams, the way she looks at you. She is hopelessly in love" Andre fluttered his eyelashes as he said it imitating a love struck girl.

Draco stepped back shaking his head. "No" he replied. He looked at Andre and knew Andre knew he was lying.

"How do you think I know this? Think. Your dreams Draco. Who made you have them? I did. I cast a spell on you to show me the thing you treasure most and your hearts desire. It is her Draco. Even if you didn't realise it, I knew. But then you started to remember, so did she, until you finally figured it out." His voice was full of triumph. He leant close to Draco and whispered, "I will kill her and let you know what real pain feels like you deserter, I'll make you pay for leaving me to die, and I know how!" Draco's eyes widened and suddenly he was awake.

Draco was breathing hard as he looked around the room. Hermione was still safe in her bed. There was a white light shining through the window, Draco looked up and saw the half moon and the stars shining brightly. He felt a pang of sadness as he remembered that Hermione loved the stars and the moon and the surprise he gave her and how happy she looked. He looked at her, so peaceful on the bed. The moonshine bathing her in silver light giving her an unearthly beautiful look. Her chest hardly moved when she was breathing, she looked dead. He hung his head, knowing what he had to do, but not wanting to do it. Slowly he leant back on his chair and fell asleep again.

This time he woke up and sunlight was streaming in through the window. He looked up expectantly at Hermione but still she slept with her chest hardly moving, he hung his head. She wasn't going to wake up and it was all his fault. So that was what Andre's plan was. He showed Draco what he cared about and now he was going to kill Hermione to get back at him, Andre was probably the person who bashed into him, making her spill the potion, Andre had succeeded in his plan then.

Madam Pomfrey came over and was looking at Draco with sadness in her eyes. She told him that Hermione would have to be moved now since she had not woken up and it was the third day. Draco leaned over her body protectively and told Madam Pomfrey to wait a little longer. She obliged and went back into her office.

Draco sat there and watched Hermione looking for a sign to show she was going to wake. But she didn't and Madam Pomfrey came back, telling him to move. Draco made the excuse that Harry and Ron should be able to say bye to her and Madam Pomfrey again agreed and sent what looked like a paper bird through the ceiling to wherever Harry and Ron were.

They came down 5 minutes later and Draco filled them in on what was going to happen. All of them looked down at Hermione and all willed her to wake. Draco felt tears coming to his eyes and looked up and saw Harry and Ron were the same. One by one they each held her hand and tried not to cry as their best friend lay as if dead. They didn't know when they were going to see her again.

Everyone stood back and Madam Pomfrey came forward and was about to send Hermione to St. Mungo's when Hermione's eyelids fluttered.

Surprised she looked down and saw that she was beginning to stir, her chest was moving more rapidly and her breathing becoming quicker. Harry, Ron and Draco sprang back to her side, looking, as she stirred fretfully her eyelids still fluttering. She cried out, everyone heard what she said, she had cried out "Draco".

Draco came forward and grabbed her hand as she opened her eyes! Hermione was awake!

A/N: Sorry I didn't update sooner, I was on holiday and there was no computer so I couldn't update, but here it is now. What do you think! I'm glad that I've finally finished this chappie now! I wanted to make it shorter but I didn't know how to break it up and then I thought you all deserve a long chapter and I'm blabbering on now! And well what more can I say then thank you all those who have reviewed and well please review this chappie!!! I'll try and get these chappie's coming more regularly! Luv Water Demon