Chapter Six: Babysitting with a Tiger

Two days passed, but the consequences of the Halloween attack were still visible. Madam Pomfrey worked very hard day and night to heal every person who suffered in the attack, and needless to say, it was the whole school, even the professors. Classes were cancelled for a week till all the students were healed. An investigation was held, but with no results. It was certain that the Dark Magic was used, but how? Here, in Hogwarts, the most secure place in the wizarding world, as it was believed, but now nobody was absolutely certain.

Professors recovered pretty soon and started to put more guard spells around the castle and the grounds. They were mostly afraid of diversions, which could take place at the Quiddich pitch or in the Greenhouses. Even every owl was checked. Now they passed through a special window with guards that detected Dark Magic or objects.

Draco lay on Snape's bed, not the couch already, because he really was a mess. He had a fever and had been delirious for two days long. Snape understood that Draco needed time and care, just simple changing of towels on his forehead would help greatly, but he couldn't be here all the time. Using a school owl, he wrote to Ginny telling her that he had a new special assignment for her.

Ginny wasn't surprised one bit. She thought that Snape needed some potion for Madam Pomfrey, but don't have time to do it himself. After arriving at the laboratory, she was a little surprised when he headed to his private chambers, but stopped before the door.

"I need you to understand, Weasley, this is more then secret, it is top secret. No soul can know about it. I am asking you to do it, because I can't trust anyone else with this task". Ginny was now very curious about this mysterious task. Snape trusts her this much?

Then Snape quietly opened the door and stepped in, showing Ginny not to make any sound. He gestured to the bed with his hand, and when Ginny looked at it, she couldn't help gasping at what she saw. Draco was lying on the bed, looking practically lifeless, even paler then usual. Only one vein that was pulsating on his collarbone showed that life was somewhere deep in him.

"What is wrong with him, Professor? And why so much secrecy about this whole ordeal, everyone is wounded somehow. What is so peculiar about him?"

"Come. I'll show you." Snape moved to the right side of the bed and pulled up the blanket. Ginny gasped once more, seeing his red swollen shoulder with two deep holes in it. She didn't need to ask, where he had received them; it was obvious.

"Now I understand," she said in a whisper, she had almost lost her voice from shock.

"I want you to baby-sit him and also heal him. I have potions here that will help, but he still needs care and someone to be around. Here is the list of tasks; everything you need is in the closet. Now I must go to Dumbledore to consult him about this entire situation."

When Snape was already holding the doorknob Ginny asked, "He must be very precious to you, if you did all this for him."

"Yes, he is." And he closed the door without any other words.

He left Ginny not only with tasks, but also with a lot to think about. 'So Malfoy saved us, he was that tiger, he is an Animagi. Definitely full of surprises. Now he's laying here on my mercy and I can do whatever I want with him, but I owe him, among those saved, there was I also. And I don't like to be in debt.' She looked through the list and then went to the closet.

Two days straight she was by his side, changing compresses on his shoulder and forehead. But it wasn't that difficult. The worst part was during night time, when Draco had nightmares about that Halloween fight and some others, which Ginny couldn't have specified and she really didn't want to. Snape helped her during these nights. He had a potion for this also, and after pouring it through his clenched teeth, Draco could have dreamless sleep.

After two days, the swelling almost vanished and the holes became two thin scars, but scars nevertheless. Snape left them for Draco like an order for his heroic deed, which would be kept unknown to others.

It was Friday evening, about six o'clock, Ginny was sitting in the armchair near the bed and reading a book, when she saw Draco stir. Just for a second, she even thought that it was her imagination, but then another flinch. Ginny was already near the door and was calling for professor Snape. Ginny stood, looking at Draco's face. His eyes snapped open and the first thing he saw was a freckled face with a bush of red hair.

"I am not in Heaven, that's for sure, they don't have Weasleys there," Draco said taking a long breath. "Where am I then?"

"You are in my private chambers, in my bed," answered professor Snape entering.

"Oh," was all that Draco managed. "And what is she doing here? I thought that we understood each other yesterday."

"It wasn't yesterday, mister Malfoy, it was five days ago. And as for Miss Weasley, she has been taking care for you for half of this time."

"I am just paying my debt." With this Ginny confused him even more.

"I don't remember giving you money, Weasley," he said frowning.

"You gave more than can be bought by money." She looked him straight into the eyes. "You gave me life, but now we are even, right professor Snape?"

"Yes. You must be grateful to Miss Weasley. If it hadn't been for her, you would have been going straight to Hell now." There was an awkward silence between Draco and Ginny, nobody wanted to say a word. "Ok, I am going to do some work. Mister. Malfoy, I hope that today you will be ready to move back to your dormitory."

"Certainly." After Snape was gone, Draco looked at Ginny with a not so pleased look. "What now?"

"I don't know. I think you should dress up and go to the Slytherin Common room."

"How simple," there was bitterness in his voice. "I'm sure, you won't tell anyone."

"Of course. But I want to ask just one question."

"Oh, women with their questions can't do anything just for free," he muttered. "All right, spill."

"Are you a Parselmouth?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were hissing back there. It is simple to understand that you were talking to the snake."

"Huh, why don't you ask Potter about this?" He wanted to sly out of this question by all costs.

"Because Harry was unconscious by that time, he didn't hear any of it. I don't think anybody even noticed, they were too shocked to hear or see anything."

"Reasonable," Draco was now standing from the bed and trying to dress himself.

"Why don't you take a bath first?"

"Oh, yes, right. You give me a headache with you and your questions."

"Don't rush. I will wait for your answer."

"Dammit." Draco took his clothes and headed towards the bathroom. He took his beauty time all right. Only one and a half hour later, he appeared from behind the bathroom door in his usual Malfoyish self: every hair in place, robes pressed and spotless, eyes shielded as always.

"So did you receive this interesting ability, concerning the fact that you are not a descendent of Salazar Slytherin?"

"And who is saying that I am not?" Draco sat down in the chair to the opposite of her and the conversation looked like a discussion between two professors of Oxford, so strict and impassive were their faces.

"You didn't open the Chamber of Secrets," it was more then a statement, it was a mocking in a way.

"Yes, I didn't open it, because my father had other plans, and because I didn't speak Parseltongue language at that time."

"How could it be?" there was confusion all over Ginny's face.

"I learned it, as simple as that."

"But...but you caaan't. You can't learn such languages; they are inherited and very rare."

"Who says that? That's the problem with you, good people. If you want something and you don't know how to get it, or think it is impossible, you give up. But we evil Malfoys have other ways," he smirked broadly. "Some books in father's library do have some useful information."

"So you used Dark Arts only to learn to speak Parseltongue?" There was a slight pause, when she thought for a second. "No! You wanted to speak Parseltongue, because Harry can!"

"This...doesn't have anything to do with Potter!" he spat his name and then spat on the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know this," Ginny rolled her eyes. "Then why would you make such an effort?"

"Because I wanted to, and if I want something, I get it. It was an effort indeed; it took me four years to learn it. Do you hear, four years! And Potter received it, as everything he does, for free!" Draco was clenching the armrests of his chair.

"Don't be so nervous about it, this doesn't have anything to do with Harry, does it?" she patted him on the forearm, like a mother will do, but the gesture was mocking. She was on her way to the door, when she was stopped by his question.

"Nothing else to ask, Weasley?"

"And you have more answers, Malfoy?"

"Could be." Ginny came back and flopped down on the couch. Draco flinched at her behavior.

"I can ask anything I want?"

"I am not in my normal self now, so you have a chance."

'Lucky me!' she thought again for a few seconds. The opportunity was more then tempting. She could ask anything, but stupid as it may sound, she stayed on the previous topic. "How could you speak when you were a tiger? I heard that people in their Animagus form couldn't talk or use "foreign" languages."

"Hmmm, I have a potty mouth?"

"Answer the question," she replied in a sing-song voice.

"I told you about our precious library, didn't I?"

"Of course. If you don't know how something happened, the answer is Dark Arts."

"Now you are wrong, Weasley, very wrong," he said with his low dangerous voice. "I wanted to be an Animagus since I have known what magic is. To be someone else. I began Animagus training two years ago all by myself. I read tons of books about advanced Animagus abilities, because I wanted to be something special. Then I found a spell, which let me speak not only with humans, but with animals too in my Animagus form. I don't know why I chose this ability. The benefit from it you can see for yourself. And the most important thing is that I achieved it all by myself." He pointed with a finger to his chest. "Nobody helped me. Potter always receives help from his friends, you, Dumbledore, team members; even damn luck is always on his side. He can't do anything by himself. I am sure that when he faces Voldemort, and this will happen sooner or later, he will fail, because nobody will help him then. They will be either dead or knocked out."

"How can you say such things about Harry!" her eyes slightly watered. "He is our only hope! Everyone will hold their last breath to help him save the world for future generations. Not for themselves, as you will certainly do, but for others. Harry will save your life too, don't you understand?"

"Nope. He won't. I will be in his state of helpers by that time."

"Huh?"

"Dead or knocked out."

"And you really want to be?"

"We are not going to discuss this further," he said sharply and coldly, "I am tired and I am going to my dormitory." With this, he left the room without even looking at her or saying good-bye.

"He will keep to his words. He will die, and die for nothing."