A/N: What to say what to say what to say ... I have nothing. I'm ashamed :(. I'm sorry! I was so overwhelmed with school and what not that I just had no time to continue writing (which, by the way, totally sucks cuz I really missed it). But I'm back now, and I'm eager to carry on with the story! Once again, reallyyy sorry. Enjoy :)
A Trip to the Hospital Wing
Hermione glanced at the nearest clock; it was approaching midnight. Midnight! But how long had she been pacing the corridor outside the hospital wing? It hadn't been that long, had it? Where was Madam Pomfrey? What was taking so damn long? She hadn't emerged from the room since … well, since Hermione had rushed Malfoy there.
I can't believe he drank the Amortentia! Hermione thought as she continued to pace. What a moron! What a brainless idiot! Then, she stopped. What if … what if I get in trouble for this? No, I can't. It's not my fault. Malfoy's the nimrod who didn't even think before drinking it, it's not like I gave it to him. Snape cannot blame me for this.
Suddenly, the doors to the hospital wing flung open and Madam Pomfrey angrily confronted Hermione. "I am in awe, Miss Granger!" She shouted furiously. "What were you thinking? Giving Mr Malfoy a love potion! And not just any love potion; Amortentia! The most powerful love potion! It is illegal, Miss Granger. Illegal! What were you thinking?"
"It wasn't my fault." Hermione replied meekly.
"What was that?" Madam Pomfrey asked sharply.
Hermione straightened her back and spoke clearer. "It was not my fault. Malfoy was an idiot and he drank the potion. Because Amortentia gives off the scent of the drinker's favorite smell, Malfoy must have mistaken it for a tasty drink and he just … gulped it down."
Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "You are aware that the potion was incomplete, correct?"
"Of course! I made it." Hermione replied, feeling slightly offended.
"Mr Malfoy is presently unconscious. I do not know the current state of him. It is extremely dangerous to drink a potion that is unfinished, especially when the potion is as powerful as Amortentia is. The effects of this are unknown; I do not know what to expect when Draco awakens."
"Poppy!" A voice cried. Hermione turned to see Professor McGonagall racing towards them, dressed in her nightgown and holding a lit candle. "Poppy, what's happened?"
"It's Draco Malfoy, Minerva." Madam Pomfrey replied. "He's drunken an unfinished Amortentia potion."
Needless to say, Professor McGonagall panicked for a few moments before Madam Pomfrey was able to calm her down. Once she managed to compose herself, the pair of them went inside the hospital wing to Madam Pomfrey's office to discuss the possibilities of Malfoy's outcome.
Left out in the corridor by herself, Hermione could not stand to wait any longer. Quietly, she pushed open the door of the hospital wing. Indeed, McGonagall and Pomfrey were both in Madam Pomfrey's office; so, she inaudibly slipped inside and carefully closed the door behind her. Observing the line of beds, she noticed that they all seemed to be empty. Everyone's staying safe this year, She laughed to herself.
Finally, halfway through all of the beds, she caught sight of a pair of rather large feet; obviously boys feet. That bed was enclosed with a curtain. Walking towards it, Hermione soon revealed it to be Draco, sleeping soundly in his bed.
She sighed. He looked so … helpless. It wasn't like Malfoy at all. He always kept up a tough front, no matter what the situation was. But now … now he looked frail and vulnerable. It was almost unnerving.
Hermione quietly took a seat in the chair beside his bed. She studied him for a while, watching his chest rise slowly with each breath. I think I like him much better when he's asleep, Hermione thought, smiling slightly.
Suddenly, Draco's eyelids began to flutter. He was waking up!
"Gra – Granger?" He called out. His voice sounded muffled and distant. "Granger, where are you?"
Hermione leaned forward slightly. "I'm here, Malfoy. Right here."
He grinned, then gradually threw his blankets off of himself and tossed his legs over the side of the bed, preparing to stand.
"What are you doing?" Hermione hissed, turning around to make sure that the professor's weren't coming. "Get into bed!"
"You're beautiful, you know." Draco said, resting his chin in his hand as he gazed at Hermione's profile.
"Excuse me?" Hermione cried, taken aback. Then, suddenly, comprehension dawned on her. Duh! He'd taken the potion! But … it wasn't finished. It still needed to set. Surely the potion's effects would be void if the potion was incomplete?
"Well, you are." Draco repeated. "Have I ever told you that, Granger?"
"Er … no." Hermione replied. She was at a complete loss for words. Apparently, she was wrong. It seemed as though the incompletion of the potion meant nothing. Draco Malfoy was flirting with her! It was sickening, but almost flattering at the same time.
"Let's go somewhere!" Draco cried, taking Hermione's hand into his own.
She pulled it away immediately. "No! Don't touch me, Malfoy!"
His face fell into a dejected state. Hermione almost felt sorry for him. "It's just…" She began, trying to think of the words. "It's just probably best that you stay here. Just for now."
"Here?" Draco asked; realization suddenly seemed to have crept across his face. "Where is here?"
"We're in the hospital wing." She answered.
"The hospital wing?" Draco repeated. "Why? I feel great! I feel … well, I feel in love!"
"The only person you're in love with is yourself." Hermione muttered.
"Myself?" Draco asked, confused. "No, silly! I'm in love with you!"
"Nooo." Hermione said immediately. It sounded so strange coming from Draco Malfoy's mouth, even if he was high on Amortentia. Strange and disturbing. "No, no you're not. You think you are. That's okay. We're going to get you put back to normal as soon as we-"
"Think?" Draco interrupted. "No, I know I am! When I look at you, the sun shines brighter and the birds sing in honor of your beauty."
Hermione blushed, despite herself. She let a small smile escape, but then quickly put on an angry façade. "You don't understand, Malfoy. Things kind of went awry-"
"Mr Malfoy!" Madam Pomfrey suddenly exclaimed. "You're awake!"
Within seconds, Madam Pomfrey bustled over to Draco's bed and shooed Hermione outside, all the while scolding her for being there in the first place and not informing her that he had awakened.
It felt like another eternity waiting in that corridor for some word of his condition; after all, Madam Pomfrey must have taken tests immediately. Surely she must have deducted the consequences of drinking the unfinished potion by now?
"Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey called softly.
Hermione lifted her head from her hands; Madam Pomfrey stood before her, looking grim but relieved.
"Mr Malfoy will be alright." She said with a small smile. "The potion seems to have given him the same effects as a regular Amortentia would have; this was proven by his constant fretting to see you."
Hermione grimaced, but said nothing.
"However, there is a small difference. If the potion had had time to set, then these effects would have been permanent unless a very strong antidote was made. Since it was not, though, Draco will have no recollection of anything after the time that he drunk the potion. The duration of the effect from the potion is unknown; He could return to his normal self tomorrow, or a week from now, or even a month from now."
"A month!" Hermione cried. "I can't have him fancying me for a month!"
She looked solemn. "I'm afraid you have no other choice." She said with a faint smile.
"Can't you keep him in here until he's healed?" Hermione pleaded. "This will ruin his reputation! He won't want that. He'd be much better off in the comfort of his own privacy."
"That cannot be arranged." Madam Pomfrey replied. "This feigned lust will not affect his brain; he will still be able to learn, and I cannot deprive him of that if he is fit to do so."
Hermione looked downtrodden. "Ugh, he'd better leave me alone then!" She cried, feeling defeated.
Madam Pomfrey smiled once more. "I would appreciate it, Miss Granger, if you would make an effort with Mr Malfoy. I do not mean engage in a relationship with him or any such nonsense-" She said quickly, stopping Hermione before she could argue. "-I just mean to say that I do not think you should be harsh towards him. If he would like to spend time with you, grant him that wish. Do not demoralize him, or he may end up doing something that will jeopardize his future once he has returned to normal. Amortentia is a very strong potion; do not underestimate the lengths that Mr Malfoy will go to to win your heart. Do you understand me?"
Hermione made a face of disgust, but nodded to show that she understood.
"Excellent." Madam Pomfrey said cheerily. "Mr Malfoy will remain here overnight, just as a simple precaution in case I have missed anything. You are free to go."
"Thank goodness." Hermione muttered under her breath.
"Oh, wait." Madam Pomfrey said suddenly. "I forgot, Draco is eager to see you. He was asking about you throughout the entire examination; I actually told him to 'shut up' at one point. I would much appreciate it if you'd say goodbye to him before you leave."
Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You must not underestimate the lengths that he will go to to win your heart!" Madam Pomfrey repeated. "Please, just reassure him. I am not asking you to stay the night."
Hermione sighed. "Alright." She agreed. "But if he asks me to stay the night, don't think I won't say no!"
Madam Pomfrey smiled, then said her goodbye and headed back into the hospital wing, most likely to her office.
Hermione sighed once more, preparing herself for this moment of torture. Say goodbye to Malfoy? Unbelievable.
Slowly, Hermione made her way into the hospital wing, thoroughly loathing the room and the purpose for her being there. It wasn't her fault that Malfoy was an idiot! So why did it seem as though she was somehow getting punished?
"Granger!" Draco cried excitedly as Hermione came into view.
"Hello, Malfoy." Hermione said wearily.
"Do you have any idea how much crap I just had to go through?" He asked jauntily. "I thought I would go crazy. But I'm better now; now that you're here."
Hermione tried to hide her look of disgust. "Listen, I just came to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" Draco asked, dispiritedly. "Why? Where are you going?"
"I'm going back to our common room." Hermione answered. "I'm tired; I think it's about time I get some sleep. I suggest the same for you."
"But I can't sleep!" Draco cried. "I just want to jump for joy! I want to run into the Forbidden Forest and declare my love for you to all of the sleeping creatures! I don't want to sleep!"
"Yeah, well, you're going to." Hermione said, walking over to the side of his bed and gently tucking his blankets in. "It's been a long night, for both of us. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"
Draco looked saddened, but grinned nonetheless. "Tomorrow it is, then! Goodnight, by beloved Granger. Sweet dreams to you, but I shall be having the sweetest of them all; I shall be dreaming of you."
Hermione stared at him. "Er … bye then." He beamed as she turned to walk out of the hospital wing, then raced back to her common room without stopping for a breath. She could not believe this turn of events; that was not Draco Malfoy back in that room. Draco Malfoy was a mean, coldhearted Slytherin who cared about no one but himself. How could one potion have caused someone so callous to become so … sweet? She sighed. Unbelievable.
……………………………….
Hermione slept the night away and continued to sleep well into the morning. Being a Sunday, it did not matter much what time she awakened, and she was taking complete advantage of it. She did not want to return to the world of reality … her dream world was enough for her.
"Hermione?" A voice whispered.
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut tightly, hoping for the voice to go away.
"Hermione? It's after eleven. Almost noon, actually."
Sighing, Hermione opened her eyes and immediately cringed at the sunlight that poured in through the window. "Morning, Bianca."
"Good morning." She grinned. "Christopher and I have been up for a few hours now in the common room. We weren't quite sure when to go down for breakfast or even if it was alright, so we just hung around for a little while. I didn't really want to wake you, and Draco seems to be missing."
"Draco," Hermione muttered as the nights events flooded back into her memory.
"Do you know where he is?" Bianca asked quizzically.
Hermione sighed once more. "Unfortunately, I do. He's currently in the hospital wing."
"The hospital wing!" Bianca exclaimed. "Why on earth would he be there?"
"He drank my Amortentia potion last night by accident." Hermione replied dismally. "My unfinished Amortentia potion."
Bianca was speechless. "Is he alright?"
"Yes," Hermione answered. "But the effect of the potion was not hindered by its incompleteness. He seems to think that he's in love with me."
Bianca raised an eyebrow; Hermione had expected her to laugh, but she did not. Instead, she looked as dreary as Hermione felt. "Wow. That's terrible. How long will this last for?"
"Madam Pomfrey is unsure." Hermione said. "She said it could be days, or it could be months. But the side effect is that once the potion has lost its effect, Malfoy will not remember being in love with me. It will take a huge toll on his memory, and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop it."
Bianca shook her head. "Wow. Poor Draco."
"Poor Draco?" Hermione exclaimed. "Poor me! I'm the one who's going to have to deal with his incessant lovey-dovey behavior. It's enough to make any girl sick."
Finally, Bianca chuckled. "Surely it must be sweet?"
Hermione considered this. "I suppose if I didn't completely loathe him, then maybe I would find it somewhat sweet. But I do loathe him, and I don't find it sweet. I find it revolting."
Bianca laughed once more.
Hermione sighed. "Why can't he have been in love with you? You could handle it. I don't think I can. Madam Pomfrey requests that I not be harsh to him. How do I go about that when he's been the biggest git to me and my friends since the day I met him?"
"I guess you're going to have to try, now aren't you?" Bianca said, smiling reassuringly.
"Ugh," Hermione replied, standing up. "You're going to have to help me, Bianca."
"How?"
"I have no idea. But I'm sure I can find a use for you eventually." Hermione said. "Let's go out to the common room, I'd like a nice cup of tea."
Agreeing, Bianca followed Hermione out of their bedroom and along the mini-corridor that led to their spacious common room.
And there, sitting on a couple of couches, were Christopher and Draco. Hermione's eyes widened with disbelief; why wasn't he in the hospital wing!
The moment Hermione and Bianca emerged into the room, Draco bolted upright and raced over to Hermione, immediately leaning in for a kiss.
"Whoa!" Hermione cried, moving just in time so that his lips only landed on her cheek.
Christopher rose as well. "Oh. I wasn't aware that you two were-"
"They're not." Bianca interrupted. "It's a long story."
Bianca went over to her brother and began to explain what had happened to the Head Boy, leaving Hermione alone with Draco.
"Good morning, my shining star." Draco beamed, taking her hands in his.
"Er … good morning Malfoy." Hermione replied. "Why are you out of the hospital wing?"
"Madam Pomfrey could not detect anything more and she could tell I was antsy to leave." He answered quickly in a tone that suggested it was not important. "She could tell I wanted to get to you. And here you are, looking impossibly radiant! How ever did I get so lucky as to have such a beautiful treasure for a girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?" Hermione exclaimed, outraged. She was grateful she hadn't been drinking anything at the time, or she would've spit it out all over the beautiful living area. "When did I become you're girlfriend?"
Draco looked slightly taken aback. "You're … not?"
"No!" Hermione cried. "Why would you think such a thing?"
"Well, I think I must've hit my head to end up in the hospital wing," Draco answered. "So I was under the impression that I must've forgotten the time of my asking you to be mine. But it must've happened, for it is impossible to love someone this much and not be with them at every passing moment."
Hermione glanced at Bianca, who was staring right back at her. Her eyes pleaded to Bianca to help her, but Bianca just grinned, obviously finding this somewhat amusing.
"Draco, we're not dating." Hermione said slowly.
"Oh, I see …" Draco said, downtrodden. Then his face transformed into a giant grin. "Will you be mine then, Hermione? Will you allow me to love and protect you for as long as my love can last? For my love for you can last an eternity, and that is how long I shall love you for."
"No!" Hermione quickly exclaimed. "Er … what I mean to say is … I don't think I'm quite ready for a relationship." She hastily covered up. "Perhaps for now we can remain friends, and … er … you know, see where things go from there."
"Excellent idea!" Draco cried. "We shall let our love blossom until it is as beautiful as our relationship will be. Only then will we be able to express our true love for one another-"
"Why don't you run to your room and change, Malfoy?" Hermione interrupted. "You must feel so dirty. Take a shower, clean yourself up a bit. Then we'll … er … give Bianca and Christopher a tour of the grounds or something."
"Anything for you my love." Draco smiled, lifting her hand and kissing it gently. Beaming, he floated towards his bedroom, looking as though he were on Cloud Nine.
The minute Hermione heard a door shut, she said, "If I hear him say the word 'love' one more time, I'm going to explode." She whined, grasping at her hair.
"So Draco's in love with you, eh?" Christopher asked. "What ever induced him to drink an unfinished Amortentia potion?"
"It was my fault, I suppose." Hermione said dejectedly. "I left the stupid potion out for anyone to mistaken as a tasty drink. I just never thought that Malfoy was that stupid-"
"Where is the shampoo, honey?" Draco called out from the bathroom in a singsong voice.
"Under the sink!" Hermione shouted back.
Christopher and Bianca gave her a look that clearly said you guys sound like a married couple. Hermione let out an aggravated groan as she sunk lower into her seat on the couch, dreading the next few days or months that Malfoy would act like a moronic, lovesick puppy dog.
Kill me now, she thought.