The Room of Necessity

Disclaimer: My invisible friend has just informed me that I do not own Harry Potter, and I am forced to admit that Toto is right on this one: I don't. The plot, however…

Last Time:

Draco didn't want to get up. He didn't want to see Hermione lying there, dead.

"Help me."

Chapter Eleven

Draco's mouth went dry. He could still hear her. But his Hermione was dead. Was gone. He'd seen it with his own hated eyes. He got up roughly, kicking the Monster as it lay unmoving on the floor, and it disintegrated in a cloud of dust. Draco screamed and his shoulders slumped in defeat. The Room had brought the Monster and had taken it away. He hadn't even had the satisfaction of hearing it scream…

"Draco." He closed his eyes as more tears leaked. Why was he still hearing her voice? She was gone. Angrily he brushed the tears from his eyes. Malfoy's didn't cry! It was over. It was done. He might as well accept it. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned to face the bed.

"Hermione!"

"Help…" Hermione's voice weakened and died as her head collapsed back onto the pillows, her hands bloody from trying to press them against her wound. Without a thought Draco put his hands against her leg, holding the skin together as best he could even as Hermione writhed in agony beneath his gentle touch. He had to bandage he leg. Now. He had to stop the bleeding.

"Imagine bandages Hermione. Picture a pile of bandages."

No response. She had stopped moving again.

"HERMIONE!" He screamed. Not again. Nonono… Not again. He couldn't. He couldn't! He wanted to shake her, but his hands wouldn't move. Then she blinked open her glazed eyes and stared at him uncomprehending, and he exhaled – he could breathe again.

"Sweetheart, imagine bandages Hermione. Please Hermione, imagine bandages. Don't sleep. Keep away from the light. Don't die. Please Hermione don't die. Imagine bandages." He was crying still. Hermione was real, and he wanted her to live. Madly, he wanted her to live. He knew she was not lucid but if he was gentle maybe he could get through… He watched as Hermione blinked her eyes once more, and a pile of bandages appeared. Draco looked down at his hands and watched in horror as blood seeped between his fingers. He had to slow the bleeding. Being unconscious wouldn't do it. Bandages might not help at all – she was losing too much blood. An idea struck him and he looked quickly at Hermione's face.

She was lying, watching him with a curious detachment. Almost like a child - interested in some morbid affair but not really understanding its seriousness. Just curious about what would happen next.

HPHPHP

Hermione's mind was sluggish but still ticking. She knew what had to be done, but she just could not bring herself to do anything active. She was in another world. She had no control over muscles or words. She could only watch with her ever-darkening vision. It was getting so dark… She was distracted as she had to battle another wave of pain. When it had passed, the sane part of her brain came once more out of hiding. To her surprise she found herself idly watching Draco. Then he turned to look at her and their eyes locked, and she read… no. She felt a question in those silver depths. Uncertainty, worry, fear. Slowly she understood. He had an idea. Painfully she forced her mouth to move.

"I trust you."

Hermione closed her eyes once more and relaxed. She felt… lighter. Her pain had dimmed. She was almost happy. She did not see Draco's eyes widen, or the solid resolve that formed behind them. Nor did she see the tender look he threw at her before he removed his hands from her leg.

Quickly Draco reached for his wand that still lay on the bed, where only minutes before he had been peacefully sleeping. He backed rapidly away and soon his back bumped against the opposite wall. Draco took one last look at Hermione still on the bed, turning paler and paler as she lost more and more blood. Her face was turned towards him and she was watching him, a stupid smile spread across her face. He raised and aimed his wand.

"Stupefy." Red light shot out of his wand and Draco bowed his head, but half a second later he was by Hermione's side again. Her blood flow had slowed considerably. He nodded in approvable as one arm darted out and snatched a bandage from the top of the pile. Industriously he set about his work. She was going to live. She had to. He would make her. He would pull her through this. Draco's eyes were wet with emotion.

No one had ever trusted him before. Not like this. He had never really had true friends. He had never had anyone to tell his secrets to, who didn't try to flirt with him or gape at him when he spoke. He had come so close to telling Hermione today. Hermione was so… understanding. She would pull through. She had to. He needed her. And she trusted him.

He wiped his eyes on the back of his arm leaving blood smeared across his face before he reapplied pressure to Hermione's bandaged leg. He was too stressed, he decided. He needed to sleep, but he wouldn't. Oh no. He wouldn't be sleeping for a long time.

He never saw the green eyes that had peered at them through a small hole in the wall, glimmering with danger even as they moved away and hole closed.

"I will be going on my first date with a new girlfriend. My new girlfriend will be…" Ron tapped his chin with his quill in thought, then grinned wickedly.

"My new girlfriend will be Snape. And due to…" He glanced at the almanac that was propped up on the table. "The passing of Jupiter behind the Sun, I will have no clean socks." He glanced up in time to see Harry stalk rigidly in through the portrait hole. Casually, Ron laid down his quill, screwed the lid back onto his inkwell and rolled up his parchment. Divination homework could wait.

He motioned to the chair opposite him. "Seat, Harry?"

"I've seen them."

"Wha-?" But Harry had gone, had walked up to their dorm. Completely ignoring his things that were sprawled across the table, and the curious looks he was receiving from other Gryffindors, Ron hurried after him.

When he found him, Harry was sitting hunched and cross-legged on his bed. Ron went to join him and as he sat, Harry reached up and shut the hangings, then cast a quick silencing spell. Ron arched an eyebrow and made himself more comfortable.

"You've seen them?"

"Outside the library."

"They were outside the library?" Ron made to get up but was stilled as Harry shook his head. Ron waited for Harry to begin.

"I was going to the library to do some more animagus research when I heard voices. The only trouble was that there was no one around, but something caught my eye."

"And?"

"And there was a little hole in the wall, at my exact eye-level. So I looked through it. And I saw them." Harry stopped talking abruptly. It took an impatient minute on Ron's part before he started again.

"Hermione was surrounded by blood; masses and masses of it. It was… awful." Ron's head jerked up to meet Harry's eyes, and when he saw the water in them he knew that this was no sick joke. Then he felt real fear; fear for Hermione and fear because of the murderous look that had appeared on Harry's face.

"Malfoy was just standing there, looking at her. He had his back to me but I knew he was saying something to her, lies probably. Then she looked at him and she said 'I trust you'. Then he reached for his wand and walked away from her! Can you believe it? HE WALKED AWAY FROM HER! Left her there, lying in her own blood even while his hands dripped with it!" Harry was screeching and Ron looked on in horror, the scene playing in his mind's eye.

"And that's not the worst bit." Ron looked dazedly at Harry; what could possibly be worst? "He cast a spell on her. I didn't hear what, but the traitorous bastard cast a spell on her and… and then… Ron," Harry caught his eye. "She went still."

Silence followed.

"Dumbledore." Ron's voice cracked even as he said it.

The eyes had lost their twinkle.

"And what did you do Harry?"

"I reached to get my wand to hex Malfoy, but the hole had closed." Dumbledore nodded.

"And you say you were thinking about them as you walked past?"

"Yes Professor."

Dumbledore looked across at Ron who sat motionless next to Harry, staring into space. Dumbledore's lemon drops had survived uneaten throughout the time the Weasley had been there; that was the first and perhaps most apparent sign that something serious had happened. Dumbledore turned back to Harry and stared through him. It was a long, awkward moment before he spoke again. Ron seemed oblivious.

"Take Ron to the Hospital Wing immediately; Poppy will have something for the both of you. You will stay there until called for. You will not speak of this. Understood?" Dumbledore's voice was harsh and brusque. There was no arguing. Harry stood angrily and grabbed Ron's arm, dragging him out of the office without once looking back at Dumbledore. Ron followed obediently, having lost all control of his muscles.

Dumbledore watched them leave before grabbing some floo powder from a porcelain jar next to the hearth and throwing it into the fire. He knelt and thrust his head into the green flames, speaking his destination.

"Poppy!" He called. The bustling nurse hurried into view.

"Albus?"

"Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley are on their way. Have a heavy sleeping draught ready, and make sure that they drink it. Hex them if you have to. Then keep them out of sight."

"Albus! What?" She stopped. "Where are you going Albus?"

The twinkle reappeared and the lips behind the silver beard quirked upwards.

"I, my dear Poppy, am going to the library."