Chapter two: The life-debt.
When Hermione woke up, Malfoy was gone and his bed was made.
"Morning dear." Said Madame Pomfrey.
"Lessons!" Hermione exclaimed, when she caught sight of the clock on the wall. She was missing Arithmancy!
Madame Pomfrey chuckled and waved a hand at Hermione to sit back.
"They were canceled today, for all students. Everyone is outside right now, while the teachers ward all the ceilings and floors."
"Oh…" Was Hermione's only response.
Madame Pomfrey examined every inch of her body, taking special care in repairing her bruised spine and head. After clearing up the ruptured blood vessels, she allowed Hermione to dress and leave.
Hermione, who had been so eager to leave the hospital wing, now wished she could go back and never come out. She looked out onto the courtyard, and a sense of dread filled her chest, as she wondered what people would say.
Still, she was not a Gryffindor for nothing. She gathered her nerves and stepped out onto the breezy, frozen stone path.
Immediately she was accosted by her fellow Gryffindors.
"Hermione!"
"You alright?"
"Malfoy wouldn't say…"
Hermione's smile faded when she heard Malfoy's name.
"I'm fine, really! I just had some bruising on my back, they are all gone now."
Ron, who was white beneath his freckles, gave Hermione a hug. She smiled at him. Harry was looking very relieved as well.
"We thought we lost you yesterday…." Harry began. "Again." He looked away. The group became solemn. "Voldemort. It's all his fault… This has got to end." He was saying it more to himself than to anyone else.
Only Hermione and Ron knew the implications of Harry's words. They knew he alone could slay the dark lord permanently.
"And it will." Hermione said brightly, squeezing Harry's hand. "So… We aren't allowed inside, not even to our dormitories?" Hermione asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"We are allowed there, except the Slytherins, of course. The problem is, the teachers don't know which halls were made by Slytherin's magic, so they are going through and warding all of them."
"Why aren't the Slytherins allowed?" Asked Hermione, although she suspected the answer.
"Their whole wing, and the dungeons, was made by Slytherin's magic and held in place with his blood. Dumbledore reckons it's not safe, even if they ward it."
"So what is going to happen to them?" Hermione asked.
"They'll have to move I suppose." Ginny piped in. "Maybe even share a dorm space with the other houses."
The other Gryffindors must not have considered this, because they all looked very alarmed.
"I'll throw myself from the tower before I share a bed with Crabbe." Ron declared.
"I'd be too afraid Pansy would kill me in my sleep." Hermione muttered so only Ginny could hear.
The gaggle of Gryffindors moved slowly across the courtyard, passing a similar gaggle of serious-looking Slytherins. Malfoy was among them, and so Hermione lowered her eyes. Seeing him reminded her of what she had promised the day before, and the thought was quite alarming. It was better not to see him.
Her mind inadvertently returned to the moment she had realized it was Draco laying astride her, protecting her; That it was Draco who had saved her.
Right after she hit the floor, her mind had blocked out anything except the searing pain in her back, head and bum.
"Draco Malfoy…"
She heard his name, although her eyes were still screwed shut. She thought that maybe he'd been buried too… but then realized that the warm, bony thing on top of her couldn't be rock, it had to be a person. She cracked open her eyes to see a silver and green tie over a white shirt and under a gray sweater-vest.
Before she could put one and one together, she felt herself rolling over, her legs tangling with his as they went. His arms were still around her, and she realized only then, that her arms were around him.
He was thin, as far as she could tell, and had a long torso and long legs. His body, oddly enough, reminded her of Ron's- long and lanky. This body had a slightly better developed chest, she realized, as her face was buried into it.
"Mr. Malfoy…" It was the headmaster. She jumped, but couldn't tear her eyes away from the boy she was laying on. Draco Malfoy was lying beneath her, his arms still drooped over her own back, and his head bleeding. He looked dazed and gave her a faint smile.
He propped himself up on his elbows, nearly knocking their heads together as he struggled to sit-up. They continued to stare at each other, as they shakily made their way to their feet. Hermione felt ashamed now, that she hadn't wanted to take her hands off him.
She wondered now, after the fact, why she had that feeling. It was probably only because he had saved her life, and she was still feeling so scared and insecure. Surely, that was natural to feel towards someone who had just saved your life?
"Hermione?" Ginny asked her with concern. Hermione gasped and looked up from her shoes. Harry and Ron were also looking at her with concern.
"You had this really pained expression on your face. What's wrong?"
"just… thinking… about what happened." Hermione didn't think she had it in her to lie at this moment. Besides, a near death experience was cause enough to space out.
"Malfoy… I can't believe he did it…" Ginny muttered, and turned to the look at the blond boy, who was looking dejected and forlorn among his house-mates.
"Looks like he's regretting it now. I thought they'd ostracize him for sure." Hermione said.
"They probably think it's brilliant that he's one up on us." Ron spat.
"On me, you mean." Hermione replied. All eyes snapped back to her. "I already told him I owe him… whatever he wants." All eyes went wide.
"Hermione, you didn't!" Ginny moaned.
"I know the magical implications of saving someone's life Ginny, there wasn't anything else to do. Unless I want to be bound to Malfoy forever, or until I save his life in return, I've got to do something for him which will reconcile the debt." Hermione muttered, and they all knew it was true.
"It's not bad, being bound to someone like that… I mean, look at me…. I'm bound to Peter sodding Petigrew!" Harry said, spitting out the traitor's name like it was parceltongue.
"But your from the collector's point of view, of course it doesn't bother you…" Hermione said reasonably.
"I hear some wizards go mad from the debt, it's like an obsession to pay it back…" Ginny said thoughtfully. "But, you'll be able to avoid that… you put in your offer, right? It can't happen to you now." She added quickly, when Hermione's face turned white.
"But what if he doesn't collect?" Harry said what everyone but Ron was thinking.
"It's Malfoy, he'll collect. Probably something stupid like making her carry his books." Ron said.
"-tut- Malfoy wouldn't be THAT stupid as to waste a life debt on something like books." Ginny said.
"Prefects!" Professor McGonagall's voice carried over the courtyard, and Hermione was extremely grateful for the distraction. Hermione, Ron and Ginny were all prefects so they frowned in regret to Harry, who shrugged and made his way over to some other Gryffindors, before turning to their head of house.
The other house prefects were already in front of her. Hermione ambled to the other side of the group, as far away from Malfoy as she could, while still being able to listen to McGonagall.
"As I'm sure you are aware, the Slytherins will not be able to return to their dormitories." Some sounds of disgust and angst came from the Slytherin prefects. "We have decided to distribute the Slytherins among the other dorms."
"So we'll be staying with other houses?" Asked a Slytherin fifth year prefect.
"That is correct Ms. Perks. We originally thought to divide up every year among all the houses, so that some from each year went to each house, but Professor Dumbledore pointed out the uncomfortable situation that would put some Slytherins in, so we've decided to split the Slytherins by year.
"I am telling you this early because I expect all of the receiving house prefects to be extremely welcoming to the Slytherins. Perhaps you could arrange some type of welcome reception… change the common room colors or something along that line."
Pansy gave a delicate snort.
"This is no laughing matter." McGonagall said fretfully. "The school is now a dangerous place, and we must all stick together… we must not waste time alienating each other. I expect you prefects to be especially severe with anyone who is… less that friendly… in your house." McGonagall's eyes shot to Ron's, who had the grace to look abashed.
"Those of you in receiving houses may now go to your common rooms and prepare your dormitory as you see fit. Professor Dumbledore will make the announcement at dinner, and at that time will let everyone know which of the class-levels will be going to each house. Until Professor Dumbledore makes the announcement, none of you is to discuss what I have just said among other students." She eyed the Slytherin prefects. "Do I make myself clear."
They nodded, looking mutinous.
"Right, off you go then."
The prefects began to disperse, some of them heading to their towers to oversee the changes.
"I wonder what the wards do… what kind of wards did they use?" Hermione asked Ron. He shrugged.
"What do you want to do? I'm not decorating the common room for them." He spat contemptuously.
"Right…" Hermione muttered. "Well, I'll see you later then…"
"Where are you going?"
"Oversee the changes, we'll need to add more beds and desks and stuff…" He nodded at her, and she waved and then departed.