Disclaimer: see Chapter I
A/N: thanks for all your reviews. Many thanks to Kandice for your praise! I, being Dutch, can't get it any better than that!
I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter; I may take some time in building up a plot. Yes, if anyone is wondering, this will eventually be a LM/HG pairing! I really like this particular pairing and have been thinking about writing a story for them for quite some time. I came up with this plot, but it does take me a while to get to any romantic stuff. I just hope you'll like my tale of intrigue that comes first too! Enjoy!
This chapter has been revised. Thanks for Artemis Moonclaw to point out my mistake!
Grey
Chapter III
"What took you so long?!" The rather aggressive tone in which this was said, earned Ron a vicious glare from his sister.
"Sorry. They wanted to hear my story, even the tiniest details... You know, for the investigation that no doubt will follow." Hermione said tiredly, while she sank down on a couch, next to Ginny.
"So what did happen? And who are they?" Asked Ron eagerly.
"I know you're probably want to hear all the gory details, but could you please wait for tomorrow? I'm feeling like my head is going to explode..." Absentmindedly she started to rub her aching forehead.
"Aww, come on!"
Hermione let out another deep sigh. "Well..." She started and in a rush, gave them the story in a very short version.
"So, that snivelling ferret finally got what was coming to him," Ron said, gleefully.
Hermione looked at him, appalled at his words. "You wouldn't say such a thing if you had been there! It was awful! If you had seen his face... And he was completely defenceless... And so frightened..."
"He's the son of a Death Eater, Hermione," Harry said softly but his voice was... cold, uncaring.
"Guys!!" Hermione frowned at them. "I know he's been a complete git, but what he's been gone through... I wouldn't wish that on anyone!"
"He would have done nothing if it had been you, Hermione. He would have just stood there and laugh, probably." Was Harry's answer.
"But aren't you wondering as to why this happened? He was attacked by a Death Eater! By Bellatrix Lestrange! His own aunt! Aren't you curious as to know why?" She tried to reason with them.
"Maybe he had been a bad boy, and you-know-who had sent his aunt to teach him a lesson?" Ron tried. "And now, maybe, she'll go after his dad too. That would be two Deatheaters less."
Hermione shook her head. "Let's talk tomorrow, all right? I can't deal with your narrow-mindedness right now."
"Please, Hermione, stop being dramatic! They are evil, and if they start trying to murder each other, then what? Who cares? I don't know why you do. Malfoy has been a pain in the ass for years, his father is even worse and you go and save him."
"You would expect me to stand by and just watch?" Hermione stared at them, then closed her eyes, feeling very down all of a sudden. "Look, guys, this is getting nowhere. You don't know what you are saying... And I can't, won't, believe that you would just stand by, if something like this would happen in front of your faces. "
Harry shrugged, but his eyes were starting to shine with a harsh light. "You've should have left him to die, Hermione. Sooner or later, he will, so... You better wake up to reality, Hermione; there's a war brewing outside this school and you just saved a guy who will be on the opposite side of us. A guy who will undoubtedly cause his share of death."
"You do not know that for sure, Harry!" Hermione felt a bit worried about the change taking place in Harry. Sirius violent death had left deep marks. It had changed Harry; maybe just out of grief, but he had started to harden and become jaded and almost... vicious in his need for justice. Like he wanted to see them pay dearly. Like he wanted to be the one to deal them their punishment, their... deaths. It made her so very sad to think how quick they all were losing their innocence.
"Of course I know for sure. He wants to be a Deatheater, and his father wouldn't leave him any other choice. I wonder though, how his father will react to his son being attacked by one of them; probably being deeply disappointed it had to come to this." Harry said with a very dark, twisted amusement.
"Actually, I think he was really shocked and sad, and very afraid for his son. Quite pissed, too." Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"What?! That bastard dared to show his face here?" Ron yelled, jumping up from the couch, fists clenched. "The nerve! Dumbledore should have hexed him into oblivion!"
"Dumbledore can't do a thing, or else the Ministry would have him fired." Ginny said softly. She was looking down at her hands while she said that. "Malfoy has gotten a pardon from Fudge himself, remember?"
"The Ministry doesn't have to know, now do they? They could just dump the body somewhere else."
"Sure. Then all the evidence would be lost and nobody would suspect Dumbledore. Right, Ron." Hermione rolled her eyes, then stood up, deciding she would go to bed now, tired of hearing their ridiculous comments.
"Goodnight." She said briskly and received a couple of mumbled "goodnights" from her friends.
As she gratefully sank into her bed, sleep didn't come to her. Her mind was still awake and whirling with all what happened today. But most of all, she worried about Harry and the dark depression he was surely sinking deeper and deeper in. Didn't Dumbledore notice? What could she do to help him? What would help him?
At last, she fell into a restless sleep, tossing and turning, while fragments of frightening memories blended together into another nightmare.
Hermione sat quietly at her desk in Potions, writing down her notes, happy the class was almost over. It was the last class of the day and the last class of the week.
She was looking forward to the weekend, hoping to finally catch up on some sleep and homework. She hadn't been sleeping well for the last week, ever since the attack on Draco.
Every time she thought about the boy, she felt slightly worried, despite her own feeling towards the boy. Her friends didn't mind one bit that the annoying Slytherin wasn't there to harass them, but somehow the total lack of compassion bothered her on some level.
Yes, she admitted to herself, she was slightly worried as Malfoy hadn't woken up from his coma. It actually bothered her so much that each and every single day that has passed since the attempt on his life she had visited the infirmary and asked after him.
She couldn't help herself, and blamed it on the still frightening memories of that afternoon. Something on Malfoy's face had touched something in her and now she was worried. Great. She hadn't told her friends anything about her conflicting emotions, not waiting on another lecture about why she shouldn't feel anything but hate, loathing and disgust for Malfoy.
She glanced up as Professor Snape stalked past her desk, robes billowing behind him, scowl firmly settled on his face. He was in an even darker mood than usual; he was obviously concerned about Draco and he vented his frustrations on the students, which resulted in severe losses of housepoints for all four houses, which surprised Hermione, as Slytherin suffered quite some damage too, although not nearly as much as the other three houses.
Professor Snape noticed her glance and gleefully took the chance at deducting some more points and this time from the know-it-all Miss Granger.
"Something the matter, Miss Granger?"
"No, sir." She answered meekly.
"I would appreciate it if next time, you'll concentrate on your work. Five points from Gryffindor."
Hermione rolled her eyes, while others of her House groaned. How long before the class was over? In this rate they wouldn't have any points left!
Finally, the bell sounded and everybody packed up their stuff and left as quickly as possible, happy to get away from the oppressing mood that hang in the classroom.
Hermione followed after her friends, who were almost jogging down the hallways, eager to get to their common room.
"Guys, wait up!" She said breathlessly, and Harry and Ron stopped for a moment to give her a chance to catch up with them.
"Hurry up, Hermione! The sooner we're out of the dungeons, the better! The chill is getting into my bones," Ron whined, while they quickly made their way through the castle.
"I have to go to the library... Pick up some texts. Are you coming with me? You still need to do some research for your next Transfiguration project." Hermione asked.
Ron and Harry pulled up their noses. "Hermione, it's a Friday afternoon! I don't wanna think about homework right now!"
"Besides, couldn't we borrow some of your notes? You make it all sound so much easier than those old tomes." Ron looked at her with what he thought were his best puppy dog eyes. Hermione wasn't impressed.
"Flattery isn't going to help you this time, Ron."
"Aww, Hermione! Please?"
"We'll see." At seeing the grins Ron and Harry exchanged she knew she wouldn't be able to deny them her notes. But she wouldn't write the whole assignment out for them! She did have her limits.
"See you at supper, all right?"
"Sure!"
She took the next turn and hurried towards the library, knowing that at this day and time, it was blissfully empty and peaceful.
The librarian didn't even look up as she walked in, browsing her way through the aisles, looking for the books she needed.
She sat down at a table in a secluded corner, leafing through one of the books, but she felt restless and unable to really concentrate.
After about half an hour, she gave up, picked up her things, and registered the books she wanted. She said a polite goodbye to Madam Pince before exiting the library.
She hesitated for a moment before heading for the infirmary. Might as well ask Madam Pomfrey how he was doing.
She slipped quietly into the room, taking care not to disturb any possible, sleeping patients. When she noticed the empty bed that Draco used to be occupying, she felt a small smile grace her lips.
Good, she thought, everything will soon be back to normal, then! She approached the nurse, who was diligently labelling potions.
"Hello, Madam Pomfrey. I see Ma- Mr Malfoy has waken up then, as his bed is empty?" She asked curiously, as well as cheerfully.
Madam Pomfrey shoulders slumped and she set down the bottle which had just received a label.
"I'm afraid not, Miss Granger... He still hasn't woken up, nor given any sign of increased consciousness... In fact, he hasn't shown any signs of being aware of the world around him." Her voice sounded sad.
"So... Where is he now? St. Mungos?" Hermione asked, bewildered.
"No, I've set him up in a private room. I thought, as seeing no recovery in the near future, this was better..."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear this... I really thought he had woken up... It's stupid, but I think I'm actually starting to miss his annoying presence. I mean... He is a real.... unpleasant person to my me and my friends, but... I never wished this on him."
"I know, Miss Granger. If you really hated him, you would have walked away from that attack, never looking back. Really, I haven't said it in that much words, but I'm actually quite proud of your courage and quick thinking. It probably saved his life. If he would only wake up now..."
"I wondered; what could you do to aid him coming out of his coma?" Hermione had looked through several books and articles dealing with head trauma and coma, but found little relevant information. It seemed that the Wizarding world wasn't that much further than the Muggle world in dealing with this kind of injuries.
"I've giving him the regular potions, but as of yet, he isn't responding to any treatment. The only thing left to do to us is to wait and hope he will emerge out of this coma on his own strength."
"That's terribly frustrating."
"Indeed. His father... Well, lets say he didn't take the news well; he practically demanded I would wake him up at once. But when the reality sank in... I never thought I would see that man expressing grief, though he probably thought I had left the wing..."
Hermione didn't want to think about Malfoy senior right now. Draco was enough to deal with, with her feeling almost as much as sympathy for the annoying ferret.
"I'll be going then... Almost supper time."
"Oh dear, would you look at that, I completely forgot the time! I'll see you tomorrow." It wasn't a question, merely a statement, and Hermione blushed. She indeed had been by every single day. She hurried out of the infirmary towards the Great Hall, trying not to think about too much about what was apparently happening; she indeed felt sympathy for Malfoy!!
That same night found the whole of Gryffindor relaxing in their common room, talking and playing games with each other. Hermione had made herself comfortable on a couch, watching her friends, while trying to sort out her own thoughts and feelings.
Ron plopped down next to her, giving her a lazy grin.
"So... What's up, Hermione? You seem rather distracted today."
"It's nothing, Ron."
"There is something. Come on, you can tell me."
"You sure you want to know?" At Ron's eager nodding, she continued. "I know it sounds crazy, but I just can't forget about the whole attack on Malfoy. I keep trying to find reasons why he was attacked by a Deatheater. And every reason I can think of, doesn't make sense!"
Ron snorted. "Trust me, of course it doesn't make sense. Those Deatheaters are a bunch of lunatics; they don't make sense. Just forget about it, Mione. Come and play a game of Exploding Snaps with us. It will cheer you up."
"Maybe..."
"Come on, forget about the ferret and play a game with me. Chess?"
Hermione looked at her friend and smiled. "All right, one game."
"Good!" Ron said as he jumped up, grabbed the board and his pieces, before sitting down again, setting the board up. Hermione observed her friend's smug grin and had to smother the urge to laugh outright; he already knew he was going to win. Hermione could play chess quite well, but she still hadn't beaten Ron. And he was mighty pleased with that fact. It was almost... cute, seeing him like this.
She started to blush at her own thoughts, but Ron seemed to be oblivious about her suddenly flushed state. Well, he seemed to oblivious towards a lot of things, she thought a bit annoyed.
"Ready for another slaughter?" Ron asked her, smirking at the groans and moans coming from Hermione's pieces.
"Oh shut up," she said to her pieces, "I'm not that bad."
"Get on with it!" Yelled Ron's pieces, waving at them both.
"You heard them."
"Shut up, Ron."
Ron smirked.
"I said, shut up!" A couple of Gryffindors looked up at the loud thud.
"What did I do?" Ron whined.
"Just play."
"Oh, hello Miss Granger!" Madam Pomfrey gave the girl a warm smile. Hermione stood in the doorway, looking just a bit hesitant and apprehensive.
The nurse gestured towards the girl. "Come on, check up on the boy. I'm sure he would appreciate your concern.
Hermione snorted. "I doubt he would, Madam."
"I don't know... He maybe would, since you're the only student showing concern for his welfare." The nurse saw the girl frown.
"I'm not lying, nor exaggerating the truth. His... friends, if you can call them that, have been by once, all-in-all. Only you, his father, Professor Snape and the Headmaster have visited the boy several times. His father has come by almost every evening. To be honest, I had not expected him to do that. But I haven't got one good word for his so-called friends. The one time that they graced him with a visit is almost a week ago and lasted a good ten minutes..."
Madam Pomfrey nodded at seeing Hermione's clearly visible disbelief.
"Strange isn't it? The Slytherins always seemed to be so tight... It makes me wonder how deep a friendship in that house goes."
"Maybe..." offered Hermione, "maybe it has something to do with the way in which Draco was attacked... I mean, because he was attacked by a Deatheater, they don't want to associate with him, in fear of becoming a target as well?"
"Hmmm, it could be a possibility of course, but still, I find a disgrace entirely that they didn't even stop by to ask after him!"
"They could have asked their Head of House."
"That's quite impersonal, if they actually did that. The boy deserves to have visits from his friends!"
"Well, today he has to settle for me. Maybe I can antagonise him enough to wake him up." Was Hermione's poor attempt at lightening up the situation.
"You can always try."
"Yes, maybe I can... I was wondering, Madam, if you would mind if I talked or read to him every day... In the Muggle world, it is advised to family and friends to spent time with the comatose patient and talk to him, so he can hear familiar voices."
"Really? Now, that does sound quite interesting." The nurse's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Yes, it is. Research has pointed out that the subconscious sometimes recognise familiar voices and that those can help bringing a patient back to consciousness."
"Miss Granger, I'm willing to try anything. Though for his body this complete rest is very good to heal from the severe curses, his mind could sink away... Yes, maybe this Muggle theory is worth a try. You can try to talk him back. If you're willing to give up your free time for this, I would be very grateful, as well as his father-"
"I would rather you didn't tell his father; I don't think he would appreciate a Muggle born trying out some Muggle theory on his son. I don't think he would like it either if he heard a Muggle born was spending time with his son."
"You're maybe right, but I dare say that in this case he might think different about it; if it would help in the recovery of his son, he could be ready to try any method, even a Muggle."
"But I can't say for certain that it will work. Some people just never wake up... I don't want to give him false hope." She said, but her thoughts were quite fervently against him knowing. She wanted nothing to do with Draco's father.
"I won't tell him a thing, if you don't want to. I don't have to tell him anything either; this treatment won't pose a risk to young Mr Malfoy in any way, so I don't have to inform him. This little experiment will be our secret."
"You said his father comes by in the evenings?"
"Yes, usually around eight o'clock, and stays for about an hour. I don't pry into those visits, but I can't help but notice his arrivals and departures."
"So, I could come by after afternoon's lessons and early in the evening." She could easily avoid Malfoy like this.
"That's all right with me. I do appreciate your offer, and I think the professors will to."
Now Hermione's face sported an uncomfortable expression. "I would have rather that the professors don't know about this either... I don't want any..." She stopped and pulled a face at remembering Snape words a couple of days ago. He had actually implied she had saved Malfoy out of a desire to earn more points and rise further in her position as the professors' favourite! She was still mad and also a bit hurt at the accusation.
"I suppose you have to inform the Headmaster. If he doesn't know already. Could you tell me, Madam, can the Headmaster actually read our minds?" Hermione grinned at the amused nurse.
"I do believe he can. Mighty convenient, though sometimes very annoying, isn't it?" Madam Pomfrey laughed at Hermione who now looked rather shocked.
"Well, Miss Granger, you really think his omniscience never gets on my nerve? Sometimes it's rather frustrating, the feeling you've missed something. But I will tell him."
"All right. Would you mind if I read something to Mr Malfoy right now?"
"Of course not! Go on, and read to the poor lad."
Hermione quietly walked into the small room in which Draco was set up and sat down on the chair beside the bed. She pulled a rather thick book out of her bag and opened it.
"I hope you like this. It's from a Muggle author, but the story is very good. And maybe I can indoctrinate you with some Muggle values...
"It's called Lord of the Ring. Maybe you'll see some similarities between the book and the Wizarding world. If not, I'm sure you appreciate the numerous battles in this book... Right. Let's get started.
'Concerning Hobbits: This book is largely concerned with Hobbits, and from its pages...'" Hermione started to read with a soft, clear voices, loosing herself in the tale she had read so many times.
If she kept looking at them, she was going to puke! Hermione buried her face into the text she was revising, not wanting to look at the spectacle before her; Ron and Lavender, flirting!
Did Lavender actually fancy Ron? Didn't Hermione hear her say somewhere in their fifth year that the boys in their year were so 'horribly immature' and she wouldn't dream about dating anyone from Gryffindor as they were 'the worst'? She seemed to have changed her mind. After all, the events taking place at the Ministry had changed them all. Ron seemed to have lost most of his sometimes childish behaviour... Everyone had lost some of their innocence, Hermione figured. So, Lavender had decided Ron was boyfriend material?
When did that happen? She bit her lip as she heard Ron made a whispered comment and Lavender blushed.
Ron didn't seem bothered by Lavender's attention. Actually... He liked it, as she saw him giving the blushing girl a devilish smirk.
Hermione had thought that Ron might have some interest in her... Her shoulders slumped just a little, and she slowly picked up her books and texts. She made her way through the students milling about in the common room, up to her dormitory. Suddenly she wasn't in the mood to socialise anymore.
As she absent-mindedly did her normal chores before she went to bed, she let her mind run over the things she had just seen. She told herself it was only normal; Lavender was a very pretty girl, and very sweet. She liked talking about Quidditch too.
She slipped into her bed, shivering from the cold. She didn't bother with a heating spell, knowing that soon, she would be quite warm under the thick blanket.
As she felt her body slowly warm up, her mind started to drift away into sleep and she forgot about her hurt feelings when she saw Ron flirting with Lavender.
"Potions today was a real chore. It was really bloody awful! The Detecting potion itself wasn't anything difficult, but it dealt with a few rather explosive ingredients. And you can probably figure out what exactly happened. A grand total of seven people melted their cauldron! You should have seen Snape, I thought he would spontaneously combust himself! But anyway, this is the list of ingredients; three handfuls of..."
Lucius Malfoy stopped abruptly as he heard the soft feminine voice coming from his son's room. Apparently, his son had a visitor. A student visitor.
He had to admit he hadn't expected this. He knew far too well that the children of his fellow Deatheaters would stay clear of him. The nurse had told him with clear disapproval that his son had received only one, short visit of his supposed friends.
He knew his son didn't have friends outside his house. To say he was disliked was a mild statement... He was now quite curious as to who was in there with him. He hadn't heard about any other visitors from Madam Pomfrey, besides Snape and Dumbledore, in the whole month his son was comatose...
He deftly strode over to the door and opened it silently. His eyebrows rose as he regarded the visitor.
His face didn't show any signs of his surprise, neither did his eyes. He quietly took in the sight of the Mudblood going through her classes, as if his son was actually listening to her, capable of responding to her. Was it some kind of mockery from her?
He smirked. No, the girl wasn't capable of cruelty. She was a real kind-hearted creature. That he had easily seen in her as it was an exploitable weakness.
So why was she doing... this? What did she think she was doing at his son's sickbed?
"Well, well, imagine seeing you here, Miss Granger."
He startled her so badly she dropped the pieces of parchment she was holding, and he watched with a dark amusement as the fluttered to the floor.
"M-Mr. Malfoy!" She exclaimed, blushing ferociously, eyes darting through the room, before resting on the exit.
Ah, the girl was still afraid of him. His eyes started to glint with a predatory intention. She was a smart girl, to fear him.
Still, he wanted answers from her before he would dismiss her.
"Tell me, Miss Granger... What are you doing here? Draco never told me he was... on speaking terms with you. He usually has a better taste in the kind of people he associates with."
To his amusement, Miss Granger's face turned an even darker shade of red, though he knew that it wasn't from fear or embarrassment, but anger. He could read everything on the girl's expressive face and in her deep brown eyes.
She quickly got her temper under control and spoke softly: "Though your son and I haven't been on the best of terms, I somehow find myself sympathising with him... Perhaps because I saw what happened to him, and I want him to get better, to wake up."
She stopped and Lucius Malfoy found himself smirking at her words. Real Gryffindor of her.
"What does your homework have to do with this... desire?"
She gave him an hesitant look, then looked away. "In the Muggle world there isn't any real treatment for a coma, just like there isn't any in the Wizarding world either. Though one of the things that has been researched and also advised, is use of talking to the comatose patient, done by family and friends of the patient. In several cases, it has helped in bringing a person back to consciousness. The subconscious seems to be able to hear our voices, and maybe if we keep talking to him, it may bring him back and wake him up."
He was silent for a while, as she nervously fidgeted with her quill.
"I know you are of the opinion that not much good comes from the Muggle world." He snickered inside at her careful phrasing of what he really thought of the Muggle world. "But did you know that there is much specific research in all different kind of areas? A doctor can specialise in a certain area of the human body, which is much different from the Mediwizard approach. Much research has been done, and still is being done, to head trauma and the sometimes resulting coma. This manner of treatment is completely harmless. The purpose is to stimulate whatever is still somewhat aware in his mind. Familiar voices, like those of family and friends, are best for such a use... Though in this case, I'm trying to nag him into waking up so he can order me away from his bedside." She finished with a small amount of dark humour, which he found he could appreciate.
He didn't know how to deal with this. This particular treatment didn't sound illogical at all. He wondered why the Mediwizardry hadn't come up with it yet. Maybe, because a real coma was quite unusual in the Wizarding World. Most cases of prolonged unconsciousness could be fixed by a potion.
And what to think about this little Mudblood Gryffindor, doing such a thing for his son, who had made her life as miserable as he could? Doing this for the son of a Deatheater who attacked her at the Ministry and was in a way responsible for the death of her friend's godfather?
Such a simple act of kindness... She exhibited a weakness; sympathy, even mercy for her enemies. She could have left his son to die, but didn't. She could have put his son easily out of her mind after her brave rescue, but didn't. She could have let his son here to lay and rot away, but she didn't; she actually tried to find a way to wake him up.
He stared at her with an intensity she could feel very well, though she kept her eyes on the floor with her scattered notes. She felt herself becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Why didn't he say something? She was waiting for him to sneer and insult her, so what was he waiting for?
He felt the same malicious satisfaction rise in him as she fidgeted in fear and unease.
He rarely encountered something like this... A true deed of selflessness towards him and his family. She saved his son and now continued to help him the best she could. She didn't expect anything back. Nor any praise; it seemed few people were aware of her effort.
"How long have you been doing this? And why wasn't I informed?" His voice now had a dangerous lilt to it. He saw the girl almost jump out of her chair. She was intimidated by him.
"For about three weeks now, sir. And I asked Madam Pomfrey not to tell you, seeing as there was no danger to this treatment, nor any risks, so I thought that she didn't have to tell you... As you, sir, would never condone such A Muggle treatment. But I thought it was worth a shot..."
"And how long were you planning on continuing this?" His voice was silky, but stern.
"As long as it would take , sir... To the end, no matter what that shall be," the last sentence was a mere whisper.
Such dedication towards someone who was her enemy. Not her friend or a relative. Like he said, such a rare thing.
"You do this every day? For how long?"
"Yes, every day, after classes and after supper to an hour or half past seven..." Ah, the girl had avoided running into him. It nearly made him snicker. Too bad for her that he decided to visit early today. Maybe he had been a bit too predictable in his visits. He would have to change that; he liked keeping people on their toes.
"Isn't your homework suffering under this, Miss Granger?" He asked, knowing all to well how much she was focused on her schoolwork.
"Actually sir, no. I thought it might be handy to do most of my homework in here. He might, subconsciously, pick up some things. Though it must seem very strange, me doing my homework out loud. It's a good thing Draco now has gotten a private room. And when I'm not doing homework, I'm reading some literature to him." She now started to fidget in her chair and throwing longing looks at the door.
"Ah. Well, though this is unexpected... I would appreciate it if you would continue this. After all, no harm is done and the least we can do is try."
She threw him an uncertain look. "Really?" She then bit her lip at the breathless voice. "I mean, yes sir. It's no big deal, for me, you know? And I have to do my homework somewhere, so why not here? It's the least I can do..." The girl babbled. He listened to her babbling as he once more studied her with a greedy intent. This was a surprise and... a gift. He wasn't used to this kind of selflessness and caring. Neither was his son. But he would greedily take advantage of it, of her. Maybe this was what Draco needed; a small bit of caring. People who should have cared for him, didn't. And suddenly, this unlikely girl did.
This was... enlightening. It suddenly decided some things for him. It made some things clear to him now. He knew what to do now.
"Once again, Miss Granger, I would like to express my gratitude." His voice had lowered and he smirked as he saw her watch him warily. "I can say that not many people would have done the same in your place; not even some of your esteemed friends and professors. Your... caring is really something quite different from what I am used to experience."
"Maybe that's entirely your own fault," she spoke, just as softly. Quite daring of her and he grinned at her.
"Indeed. And I don't expect anything else... I didn't expect anything else in this case. That's what makes this all the more... fascinating." With that said, he turned around, ready to leave the room. He felt her watching him and could picture in his mind her look of disbelief.
"Once again, Miss Granger, thank you." He chuckled at her gasp as he strode out of the room, nodding politely to the nurse, who was watching him with an open mouth. She hadn't been there when he came in for his visit. She immediately looked worriedly over to his son's room.
"Though you and Miss Granger had the best of intentions to keep quiet about your new treatment, in the future don't hesitate to discuss any treatment with me, no matter how... unorthodox it is. I am willing to try everything for my son"
The nurse had the nerve to smile at him. "Of course, sir."
His face turned grim and dark as he stalked through the corridors of the castle. Yes, what he had just witnessed had made certain things clear. Now, he was no longer in doubt. Things had to be done. Revenge would be taken. Nobody touched a Malfoy; he would make sure the whole (Wizarding) world would know that.
He would let the world know that one shouldn't mess with his family. He tended to become a bit... violent when someone tried to harm one of his own. He would get revenge on his son's behalf, and by doing so, he would make sure the name Malfoy would come out stronger.