Sleeping, waking and plans

Hermione opened her eyes and saw someone's head swimming in and out of focus. Someone was holding her hand, she could feel the pressure. Who could that be? She thought. What had happened? Where was she? She felt the rough blanket on her arm and recognised it as the hospital wing bedding! What was she doing there again? She pondered.

Then she remembered! She had taken a potion . . . the calming potion and well . . . hadn't someone bashed into her? Yes! It was Draco, someone had pushed into him and . . . he had gone into her! That was it. Now why was she taking the potion? Oh yeah . . . she had had a rough day with Harry and Ron.

She looked up and the face came into focus. It was Draco! She sighed with relief and pulled his hand towards her reaching with the other arm as she did so and she enveloped him in a hug. Tears sprung to her eyes as she murmured to him.

"I'm so glad you're here! You stayed with me!" She leant back and smiled at him, which he returned. She looked at him with love in her eyes and whether Draco knew it or not but he was looking exactly the same back at her. He reached down and stroked her cheek.

"As if I'd be anywhere else" He said showing how he felt to everyone in the room. Hermione finally looked around and saw that she had an audience. Madam Pomfrey was looking at her with a funny smile on her face and then she went into her office. Harry and Ron were looking at her and Draco open mouthed at the love that they were showing to each other. Hermione's smile died on her lips as she looked at both of them.

She couldn't remember them as the friends she had known for 7 years, all she could see was the nasty looks they threw at her and the way they behaved. It was their fault she was where she was. She felt her eyes fill with tears and overflow as she turned her head away from them.

"Hermione . . ." Ron started forward, Harry moved closer as well.

"NO! Get . . get out I don't want to see you! Go away! It's your fault I'm here! Go away I don't want to see you!" Her tears came more fiercely and her voice was filled with choked sobs as she turned towards Draco. When they hadn't moved she pleaded to him. "Draco! Please make them get out . . . make them go away! I don't want them here!" She yelled and buried her head into his shoulder as he was sitting beside her.

All three boys were shocked at her outburst and Draco looked up at them and spoke almost apologetically "You heard her, do what she wants, get out of here" Harry and Ron took one last look at their once best friend and left the hospital wing with pained looks on the faces.

"Shhh! They're gone now love" Draco said. He lifted up her chin and looked her in the eyes, wiping away her tears with his finger. "I'm here don't worry" With that Hermione calmed down and laid her head on his chest getting her breathing back to normal.

"I had such horrible dreams!" She said, she looked up at him and continued. "They were all about you and how . . . well . . . how you didn't like me anymore and you were saying such horrible things and then you kept leaving me! You can't leave me Draco! You won't will you?"

He looked down at her and remembered Andre's threat. "Of course I won't . . . I care about you" He smiled at her and she smiled back looking content.

It was Monday night and Hermione had been seen by Professor Dumbledore and he had talked to her about what had happened making sure that it was all an accident. He had stayed and chatted to her and then he had left making sure that Madam Pomfrey was to give her loads of chocolate. Madam Pomfrey had told her she was alright but she would have to stay for another week for observation since they had no idea if she would slip back into a coma like state again if she slept. Hermione had insisted that Draco sleep in the hospital wing with her and she had said yes. Hermione was going to sleep again and Draco was glad to see she was breathing normally. He dreaded going to sleep though, but after a while he too dropped off.

"Ahhhh. How nice it is to see you again" Andre's voice spoke put to him. Draco span around and came face to face with his old friend.

"Nice? You call this nice? I hate you" Draco spat, his anger filling his words with hatred. "Why did you do it? Huh? You made me think she was going to die! You are so sick!" Draco glared at him with hatred.

"What? Oh yes. You see I am only preparing you for what is going to happen. It is going to be because of you. She is going to die because of you. You will be the one to kill her . . I'm just going to be there to watch it, or perhaps I will kill her myself. Either way it will be your fault !" Andre sneered at Draco, silently laughing at the chaos he was making.

"No I won't be responsible for killing her! I will never harm her!" Draco looked at him in disgust wondering how he could ever have thought of him as a friend.

"You will never harm her? Hmm . . . you already have!" Andre laughed at the confusion on Draco's face, loving every second. "Don't you remember? Of course you don't. I made you forget! I made everyone forget what they saw. Think back. You had just had a dream . . . no . . . a nightmare about me and she came out to you. You turned around and started to strangle her, until her little friends intervened. You left marks, big bruisers on her slender neck, but I had to make everyone forget so you two would forget it and then you two would get together. Because how would my plan work if you two didn't go out . . .? Anyway enough of the past lets look at the now!"

Draco stared at Andre not believing what he had just heard. But then he remembered. What he said was true. He had been in a weird mood that night and then . . . he couldn't remember. Yes it would make sense if it was Andre.

"Why are you going to so much trouble?" Draco spoke out.

"Because I have to have revenge on you. You left me to die. See my revenge is always perfect!" He grinned an arrogant way. "You see, you still haven't figured everything out yet. The worst is yet to come and you will be the cause of it, you will see!"

"But, why was a nasty to her then? If I was supposed to go out with her, why was I nasty to her?" Draco asked confused at how he was nasty and nice at the same time.

"Ahh, you see I am nasty and well I sort of lived it through you and then I realised that I had to stop it otherwise she would hate you. So I did and your sensitive side came through!" Andre sneered at the word sensitive. "You had changed so much since when I was with you, I know your changing because you don't want to become your father, and well it was hard to grasp the fact that you weren't evil minded anymore. First of all I was controlling Harry and Ron to try and kill her, then I realised that if I was to get my revenge she would be better off alive, other wise you wouldn't know you . . . dare I say it? L O V E D her!" Andre whispered, pleased at the affect of the word and lengthening it to sound even more horrible. "So any way that explains everything that has been happening to you and her for the past couple of months"

"Why are you telling me all this?" Draco asked. He was confused. Why would Andre be telling him all this? He got his answer with Andre's next reply.

"Because I want you to know what I am going to do and know that you have no possible way to stop it! And as much as want to carry on this riveting conversation, I have things to do . . . murder to plan and well I must be getting on with it! See you soon Draco!"

Draco woke with a start. Sunlight was streaming through the windows and Hermione was up eating her breakfast. He looked around making sure everything was normal and that everyone was ok. His eyes went back to Hermione, she was just sitting there eating her breakfast unaware that he had woken up. She looked so innocent. And he was supposed to be killing her? It just didn't fit. He couldn't do it . . . he wouldn't do it! Finally she looked around and saw he was awake. She smiled a warm smile at him and she squeezed his hand.

"Draco I . . . I . . . I want to thank you so much for staying with me! I heard everything you said and well I feel exactly the same for you! You saved my life you know." Draco looked up at her sharply, she continued. "Yes you saved my life. If you hadn't have got me to Madam Pomfrey as quick as you did I would have been dead. She told me!" She smiled at him unaware of what he was really thinking.

"You know I wouldn't have done anything less" He replied, trying to act normal. Why did her little speech remind him of something? He almost had it but she spoke again.

"You know I couldn't imagine my life without you now! You have totally turned my life upside down and I love it! You make me feel . . . I don't know . . . no-one has made me feel like this. You treat me for me and not just because I'm smart and you need homework off me!" She looked at him with love in her eyes and Draco had a feeling where her speech was going. He knew he had to change the subject as quickly as possible but he didn't know why.

"What are you going to say to Harry and Ron? They do care you know even though they were so nasty to you before. It was just their way with dealing with change. I think you should forgive them. You heard what they said to you when you were asleep right?" Hermione nodded and Draco went on. "Yes, I thought you did. You need your best friends back because as much as I am a good substitute I am nowhere near as good as Harry and Ron" He gave her a smile to show that he accepted the way her and Harry and Ron's relationship was. Hermione smiled at him, so happy that he understood her and cared about her feelings. She nodded and he got up and kissed her forehead.

"Ok I'll go get them now. No doubt they'll love the excuse to miss some of their lesson. I'll just tell the professor it is an emergency!" He gave her a love filled smile and gave her a quick kiss before he headed out of the hospital wing. What he really needed was time to think. He was going to get Harry and Ron but not right that minute. He decided to wander first.

He figured out that somehow he was going to kill Hermione and he didn't want that to happen. He carried on thinking about what he was going to do. He knew now but he didn't want to do it. That's why he wanted her to make up with Harry and Ron. To save her he would have to hurt her. If he wasn't around her then he couldn't possibly be responsible for killing her. Harry and Ron would be there to comfort her but he wouldn't. He loved her so much. He could admit that now. He knew he did and there was no way to fight it. He loved her and cared for her so much he would have to let her go. It was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done but he would have to do it. He prayed that he would be able to be with her one last time before he broke her heart.

With a bowed head he went to find Harry and Ron. He found them in divination. They left the class gleefully, almost skipping down the stairs in delight of not having to be stuck in the tower. They asked Malfoy why they had to come out of their lessons, and what the emergency was. They grew panicky and asked if Hermione was ill again. Draco shook his head and laughed, and replied that no, she wasn't in any immediate danger she just wanted to see them. They both breathed a sigh of relief and went on more happily.

When they entered the hospital wing, Hermione was sitting up in her bed reading. She looked up when they came in and gave Draco a smile while glancing nervously at Harry and Ron. She waited until they sat in the chairs around her bed, she took a deep breath and looked Harry and Ron straight in the face.

"I wanted you to come here so I could talk to you" Hermione looked at both of them seriously. "Don't interrupt!" She added when they both opened their mouths.

"You were extremely horrible to me and I can't see you as the friends who I have had since the beginning of school. BUT . . ." Hermione said as they both opened their mouths again. "Draco talked to me about it and he made me realise why you did it. I know that you do care about me and that you were angry and everything because I went behind your back. I think you could have given me a chance then and at least acted more mature but hey . . ." She smiled slightly. "I know that you're boys and you're not capable of being mature!" All three lads looked at her with open mouths not sure whether to take it as an insult or not. Hermione started laughing and pulled them both towards her in a hug. Harry and Ron started laughing too.

"Well, if you had told us in the beginning what was happening perhaps we would of react differently!" Harry said seriously.

"Yeah! We didn't want our ickle Hermione getting hurt!" Ron said in a mock baby voice. Hermione laughed and made them promise not to do it to her again. They both promised and everything was back they way it always was. And just to break the mood Ron asked Hermione the fatal question: "Can I copy your homework?" Harry and Hermione both looked at him. "I'm kidding!" He laughed. Hermione looked around and found that Draco had gone!

Draco quietly slipped out of the hospital wing. His plan had worked, she was friends with Harry and Ron again. He sighed and went back to his room. When he got inside the common room, he went and lounged on the sofa and he was reminded of Hermione and how they had had their pillow fight and he had lost count the amount of times they had snuggled up together there. He got up and went moodily into his room. Soon he was going to do the hardest thing in his life.

Harry and Ron had gone, leaving Hermione on her own. Draco was still away somewhere. She slumped back on her pillows and stared out of the window and looked up at the cloudy sky. She sighed again. She was restless. She felt bored and was so tired of just staying her bed. She needed Draco back. Well she would just have to look for him.

Making sure Madam Pomfrey was still in her office Hermione crept out of her bed and started to get out of her night dress she was given for staying at the hospital wing. She grabbed her school clothes from the back of one of the chairs and began to put them on. There was a mirror by the side of her bed and just as she turned around she noticed something on her shoulder blade. She turned around so she could see it clearly in the mirror, there was no doubt about it . . . there was something on her shoulder. It was a drawing, but not just any drawing. As Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and fear she recognised the drawing . . . it was a symbol . . . a devil and an angel embracing . . . it was the sign of the Prophesy!

A/N: ooooooh! Things are sorta coming together!! I never know what to say in these authors notes . . . apart from a mega big thanks to my reviewers. I would have never made it through this story without you! sniffles at the thought. IT IS YOU, THE REVIEWS, WICH MAKES THIS STORY WORTH WRITING!! Just wanted to write this big so you know how grateful I am! Oh well please, please review! It's my wish to get up to 100 reviews! I will TRY to update soon! Luv Water Demon!