Chapter Four: Failure's Not Flattering

"Did you hear them?" Blaise inquired.

"Yeah, but she needs more attention than they do," Draco said simply striding into the Hospital Wing, hearing them run after him and placing her on a free bed.

"What happened to Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey demanded appearing from under her desk and running over to them. She placed her hand on Hermione's fore head and looked expectantly at him.

"She fell," Draco said.

"Probably from the 7th floor, that's where the Gryffindor common room is," Blaise said.

"But a fall like that would have killed her," The witch insisted.

Draco couldn't bring himself to say it. "Draco caught her," Blaise said for Draco.

"Be happy Mr. Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey smiled at Draco's still amazed from the whole affair look, "I think you are responsible for saving Hermione Granger's life,"

"But I'm Draco Malfoy," He breathed quietly.

"She's okay right?" Harry demanded.

"She's going to be fine?" Ron asked unsteadily.

"Oh Potter, Weasley," Pomfrey acknowledged, "Yes of course she will, thanks to Mr. Malfoy, she's just fainted is all. I'll have her back to the books in a day or two,"

Pomfrey went to go get some potions to revive her with. Harry and Ron looked at Draco awkwardly. Ron scratched the back of his neck, "I don't really know how to say this...it's just..."

Draco still stared down at her, not really listening to their words. That one second where he saved her life was now turning into endless questions as to why he didn't just drop her.

"What Ron's trying to say is," Harry took over seeing as Ron had a sudden loss of words, but Malfoy still looked down at Hermione, "Is that..we're thankfu- I mean, er...Thanks Malfoy," He seemed to have difficulty saying, "Thanks for saving Hermione,"

"Some body had to," Blaise pointed out, touching at the fact Harry and Ron didn't, yet they obviously witnessed it.

Harry bit back the anger to blow up at him by being thankful that he had not just lost some thing close to him again, he couldn't bare it. Ron and Hermione were all he had. Harry just nodded and smiled and looked at Hermione, who now he noticed was being stared at by Malfoy. He saw him shake his head.

"Let's go Blaise," Malfoy said not taking his eyes off Hermione.

"Don't you want Hermione to know you rescued her?" Ron asked.

"She won't be up for a day or two, what's the need in wasting time?" Malfoy said. It was the worst thing he could say at the moment, he was full of wonder and he was walking away from the answer. She could wake up, be her know-it-all self and he could relax as things got back to normal. But instead Malfoy walked out of the room with Blaise. As the big door shut behind him he walked straight to the wall and banged his head against it purposely.

"It's bothering you that much?" Blaise said shutting the big doors behind them.

"You have no idea," Draco said turning around, "If my father finds out he's going to kill me,"

"He'd do that?" Blaise asked raising an eyebrow.

"This is Lucius Malfoy we're talking about Blaise," Draco said as if he were talking about Voldemort, because in truth his father was almost just as bad as Voldemort, "she's a mudblood, it's my fault her filthy existence still thrives!" Draco sighed, "At least that is what father would say. He'll do more then lecture me on this one. He'll make me feel the pain I should have made her feel,"

Blaise breathed out, as sympathetic as he was for Draco, he found it remarkable some one could do that to their own flesh and blood, "he's done it before hasn't he? Hurt you for doing the wrong things? You've told me about it...but not recently, in Second year you came back limping. I didn't ask but for some reason you came and talked to me,"

"Doing wrong things keep me alive," Draco said, "Wrong to him is considering mercy, considering not worshiping and following the dark lord. Wrong to him is looking on the bright side of things, having a heart, being happy," Draco sighed, "He hasn't lectured me or taught me a lesson since second year. I really did learn my lesson," Finally answering Blaise's question, "The summer before Second year, we saw Granger, Potter and Weasley. He told me to call Granger a mudblood after he had seen her muggle parents...any ways, I tried to argue the subject and he- well you get the picture. It was better by Quidditch though,"

"But that's not it," Blaise said, "Your father isn't the only thing bothering you is it?" Draco shot a questioning look at Blaise. His face read: how could it be any thing else? "You know this is arguably not your fault. So come on, what else is it? Potter and Weasley?" Blaise walked closer to Draco, "You've told me every thing, from your hate for Pansy, to your hate for your Dad," Draco knew this was true. The only people Draco knew and trusted were Blaise and his mother. Sure he had a lot of friends, Crabbe, Goyle and the Slytherin Quidditch team. But Crabbe and Goyle just followed him when they weren't eating, and the Quidditch team had always honored Draco for the gift his father had given to the team to enhance them.

"It's not Potter or Weasley," Draco said knowing he wouldn't get out of Blaise's interrogation, "its Granger,"

"Ah," Blaise said, "saving her life isn't a good thing is it? Not only is it bad in the fact your father might take some leap of fury at this and blame you completely...it is also bad in the fact you don't regret catching her?"

"Blaise-"

"And," Blaise said boldly going on, "That's bad because, even if you would have known who it was and even if you may have dropped her for mercy on yourself from your father, you wouldn't have. Correct?"

"Listen Blaise, maybe father won't find out. Maybe this will all just pass by and some day Granger will owe me a favor?"

"Maybe," Blaise said, "are you sure you want to leave at that for now?"

"Positive," Draco breathed, not sure at what else it could be left at. "Failure's not exactly flattering,"

Blaise shook his head, "it's not a failure,"

"For my father it will be," Draco sighed.

There was a silence for a moment but Blaise spoke up soon enough, "Are you going to go see her?"

"I couldn't just go see her," Draco said, "It might look as if I care," Draco hesitated, "which I don't,"

"But don't you?" Draco looked away from Blaise, "Listen mate, some body will be ordered to bring her home work and we have Potions first. You can work it out with Snape to bring her the back work and then be able to bring her any others from class,"

"But Blaise-," Draco said turning around quickly. Blaise raised a hand and Draco sighed, "I don't get why I'm doing this,"

"You care," Blaise smiled and they began to walk back to the Slytherin common room.

"No I don't," Draco defended.

"Yes, Draco, I'm afraid you do and the reason why you are going to bring her what she'll want the most in the Hospital is to see why you care and just how much you do."

Draco sighed, "Blaise, you're a Slytherin. Why are you helping me figure out some 'feelings' for a mudblood when you should be laughing at them and dismissing them?"

"Because it's me! Blaise Zabini! The first understanding and supportive Slytherin, also the first that doesn't follow or talk to you for fear or popularity," Blaise said patting Draco on the back.

"Never thought that was possible," Draco shook his head in disbelief.