Chapter 7

ooOoo

"Ms Granger? Ms Granger can you hear me?" Madam Pomfrey brushed a lock of curly brown hair from the young face, all too familiar. "First the Basilisk, now a fall from the top tower. How do you keep coming back to me Ms Granger? Poor child…" she brushed her face again and smiled. "You will pull back, like you always do." She chuckled softly, slowly filling a small cup with clear potion. "At least for now I can kill that headache for you. How you survived with nothing but being unconscious I don't know."

"Luck I would say. Lots, and lots of luck."

"Albus, I didn't know you took it upon yourself to visit my patients personally." Madam Pomfrey smiled as she slowly dropped the serum past the parted lips of the young girl. "Not unless you think there is going to be a sudden rush of children jumping out of windows?"

"We both know she didn't jump Poppy. But never the less, I have come. And you will be wondering why." He smiled and offered her a lemon drop. She declined and he shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Very well Poppy, I shall get to the point. How is she doing?"

"She will be fine. I will ask Minerva to perform a transporting spell for me and she will wake up in her own quarters. But she will, to her own dissatisfaction, have to miss lessons until I say it will not be a strain on her. But she will be fine."

"And what of our other patient?"

"Ah, now I'm afraid he isn't doing as well." Poppy stood and placed a damp cloth over Hermione's forehead.

"May I see him?"

"I really shouldn't…but you are the headmaster so…" Poppy bit one of her knuckles and put her other and on the thick curtain of the next bed. "I hope you don't expect anything from him Albus…he will not be able to talk for a while yet." She looked around to see that they were alone. When she was satisfied, she pulled back the curtain and ushered Dumbledore inside. Even Albus had to gasp at the sight.

It was Draco, well, it had to be. He looked like a mummy with brand new bandages all over his body. His tattered clothes were on a chair by the side. even though the bandages were new, there were large pools of dark, almost black blood, over his chest, coming from his back onto the bed, his neck, his shoulders and from somewhere else…

"It looks broken."

"It is. I had to remove the bone, and give him some skelly grow to rebuild it. But I assume that" she pointed. "Is what you were referring to? There is so much blood and damage that I am surprised that he is even here. I think he is the lucky one, not miss Granger."

"Is anything not broken?"

"My…pride…" a croaky cough, spluttered with blood, came from the prone figure on the bed. "…ouch…"

"Draco my boy!" Draco flinched. "Oh, sorry." he spoke softly. "How are you feeling, considered our injuries.

"Don't worry…old man…I have…" he wheezed loudly and Poppy had to cast a soothing charm to calm him. "…felt worse…"

"I doubt that. I have never, even after cleaning up after the headmaster's messes, had to deal with someone as injured as you before."

"No one…has…ever (wheeze) dealt with someone…like me…before…" he coughed again and Albus sat by his bed.

"Try to keep your strength lad. You have done very well." He smiled softly, a tear falling down his aged cheek. "Very well done lad."

"How…"

"You should be resting, not talking." Poppy tried to make Albus take the hint, but he wasn't having any of it.

"How…is…"

"She is fine my lad. The worst she has is a slight headache. But that will pass before she even wakes. Poppy has informed me that she will be transported to her room later, where she will wake up and reframe from attending her classes while she gets her bearings back. As for you my lad." He smiled. "You will need a little longer."

"I will be right back. I want him to drink a fast heal potion while he is awake." Poppy left, and Albus waited until they were alone.

"Well done lad. I know what you did." he smiled as a small growl, pitiful, but a growl none the less came from Draco. "You sacrificed yourself for her. so you have compassion and a value for life."

"Don't…fool…yourself old…man." He raised his hands behind him. Albus watched as the broken man before him, cringed as he pulled himself to sit up against the head board. "I…twisted at….the wrong…moment. I didn't…mean to…land first." He gasped, very out of breath but determined to continue. "when I see…that li…little wench…again. I will…make her…pay…for this…" he groaned and pushed his head back into the head board, as Poppy walked back in.

"You are not supposed to be up! Lay back down."

"After how long…and how painful it was….for me to sit up." He got his breath back and hissed slightly. "I will stay where I am you retched woman!" Poppy jumped back from the hissing snarling sound that came from her patient. And throughout, the slip of a bandage that covered his eyes fell down, and she yelped, stepping backwards. Even Albus was speechless. "You are shocked?" he panted, holding his ribs and looking to one side, into a bed pan. The shine of the metal gave him a perfect reflection of what they saw. He chuckled weakly. "I am my father's son…"

"No, you are not." Albus said very sternly. "You are not his son and you never will be. Yesterday's little event proved that. he would never risk himself for another. Not even a pureblood."

"I didn't risk myself. I fell after and she clung to me. then, she made me slip and-"

"And Minerva, Professor McGonagall, told me how she saw you run after her, jump out the window, claw to catch her, pull her tight to you and refuse to take Minerva's hand at the risk of dropping her. you knew she couldn't lift you both, and you knew that if you moved to get inside again, you would have dropped her. so you let go and made sure you were a living cushion for her upon landing. When I found you, I had to perform a shielding spell to stop any students going near you or seeing you."

"…thanks for that…but I didn't-"

"Rest lad. I will be back to see you tomorrow. I will bring some sherbet lemons if you like." He chuckled as Poppy handed Draco a glass of bright purple liquid.

"I ma not-"

"He sooner you recover, the sooner you may receive your gratitude from Ms Granger." Dumbledore saw his eyes glow dangerously, making Poppy step back, and nod to Albus before leaving. "Now lad, drink up." Draco grumbled, drinking his potion with the most grotesque facial expression, making Albus chuckle, and his eyes sopped glowing. "I will be leaving." He said rather loudly, making sure poppy heard. He smiled knowingly, and looked around the curtain. He half closed the curtain and winked to Draco, and then he saw why. As Albus' figure vanished, the art of the curtain he didn't pull to, gave him a perfect view of Hermione.

She was sleeping so soundly, so peacefully, that his scowl seen receded. She looked like an angel, so perfect. He downed the rest of the potion and already felt the tingling of it taking effect. His skin was on fire, his body ached and he felt like his limbs were all on fire, with brandy, whisky and paraffin dowsed over him. it hurt to breath, but he wouldn't give in.

He would never give in. not before he got his revenge.

But that wasn't important now. Right now, he needed to regenerate. Right now, he lowered to lay on his side, facing the Angelic bookworm that was Hermione. He saw a lot of himself in her. alienated, different, gifted, feared, shunned, isolated, a freak of nature.

Yes, they had a lot in common. He knew from the first moment he saw her that he would see her again. And when he saw her in that dungeon, saw her alone, scared, upset, alone…he knew her pain. It was only mild compared to his, but he knew it. He knew that look of longing and pain, loneliness and sorrow in he eyes, as he saw them every night in the water of his river. The one he used to look in every night with his surrogate parents and family. He saw the same lonely light burning the wick of her candle as brut his.

That was why he had decided to befriend her.

But that boy today, that potter boy. He had heard everyone call him that, other than Hermione and a few others. They called him Harry.

Friends, Pah! They were not with her when she needed them! I was! he scowled and dug his stinging fingers into the covers of the bed. But they don't scare her…you do… a voice in his head spoke to him, but he growled back at it. Why should she be afraid of me huh? I protected her, came to her rescue so many times, did this for her… he looked into her calm face and frowned. Because you are a harsh, twisted monster who has always been this way, dark, bitter, self reliant, crude, curt, snarky…a bastard in almost every tense of the word…almost…I wish… he sighed and looked at her, almost as if he thought that she would open her eyes if he simply willed it. perhaps I was wrong in my assumption…maybe I was wrong. Perhaps…she isn't lonely like I thought. Even after the display I made of Malfoy, Potter still stood up to me. As did that red head. Mmmm…I will reserve my judgement on her for now. I need more time to come to a decision. Then, I will know. So for now. He concluded. I will wait. Watch her from a distance, and evaluate the situation. I can do that. He closed his eyes, hoping to ignore this sudden uproar in his chest, partially from the pain of three broken ribs, and partially from this urge to just stick with her. He didn't want to just watch her…he wanted to be near her. Even if it was in silence.

He opened his eyes again, and looked to her. There was a sleeping drought potion by her bed side, and thanks to his recovered hearing, he knew that Poppy had left for some reason.

So they were alone.

Perfect

He concentrated and crinkled up his face, in great pain. It took a while, but slowly, Hermione's sleeping body levitated from the bed. He then reached out, and her body very slowly, painfully slowly, hovered towards his bed. He didn't stop until her body was next to his, and gently lowered her next to him. very tired, very much in pain from what he did, ontop of his already writhing pain, he dropped his arms clumsily around her and with the last of his strength, he pulled her into an embrace…

…and fell asleep…

What Draco didn't know, is that Albus hadn't actually left. He had been sat at the other side of the ward, looking at Ms Granger's bed the entire time. When he saw her body hover off the bed and over to the bed he knew it would go to, he smiled. He then waited a few more minuets, and heard a relaxed, grateful sigh and knew that they were both now asleep. When Poppy returned with another batch of skelly grow, he whispered to her.

"One of your patients has moved from her bed to another, do not entire the bed area of Master Draco Draig Damnatio Draconian until morning."

"But,"

"Good night to you Poppy. Good night."

One thing was for sure. He wanted to be back here tomorrow morning when both his students awoke, in an embrace.

He sat at his desk and sipped his coffee, smiling. This could be just what he was waiting for. It was perfect. If he could just get those two together, with a slight bit of meddling, it would be perfect. The lad already doubted himself as it was, she may be all he needs to assure who he is.

Good?

Bad?

He will knew once she shows him the way.

The problem with Draco, is that he has the soul of a kindred spirit, the heart of a pure hero, but the mind of a cunning warrior and the body of a perfect killing machine.

Which meant one thing.

He could go either way. And Albus didn't like the amount of bitterness and sadistic hatred he sensed from that boy.

But if Hermione could convince him there is more to life than vengeance…then he might have a chance at happiness.

And that, was more precious than anything in the world.

Albus sat back in his chair and looked into his empty cup.

All hope rested on the shoulders of Ms Hermione Granger.

Let's just hope that the kind, forgiving and caring nature of Hermione doesn't get suppressed by her headstrong logic and 'common sense'. That would be a disaster.